The #MeToo movement has made it increasingly difficult to talk about separating the art from the artist. Can you do it? Is it worth trying? And are there varying degrees of misconduct that make it easier for you to support one disgraced artist from another? This is part of the discussion presented in the new Showtime docuseries, “We Need to Talk About Cosby.”
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Created by stand-up comedian W. Kamau Bell, “We Need to Talk About Cosby” details the legendary comedian’s descent from being “America’s Dad” in the ‘80s to becoming an alleged rapist over the past several years. Bell speaks with several folks about how you deal with watching a childhood hero fall from grace and whether or not Bill Cosby was really the person everyone thought he was decades ago?
“We Need to Talk About Cosby” is set to make its world premiere at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival before it hits Showtime on January 30. You can watch the teaser below.
Here’s the synopsis:
A four-part docu-series directed by W. Kamau Bell, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY, wrestles with the conversations of the #MeToo movement, focusing on Bill Cosby’s descent from “America’s Dad” to an alleged sexual predator. The series explores the complex story of Cosby’s life and work, weighing his actions against his indisputable global influence through interviews with comedians, cultural commentators, journalists, and women who share their most personal, harrowing encounters with Cosby. Through archival footage, Cosby reveals who he may have been all along – the antithesis of the principled, public figure who became a hero, not only to African American people but to all people. Peeling back complex layers of the African American icon, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY offers viewers the chance to reconsider his mark in a society where rape culture, toxic masculinity, capitalism, and white supremacy is shaping how we re-evaluate sex, power, and agency.