We Need to Talk About Cosby

We Need to Talk About Cosby is an American documentary miniseries directed and produced by W. Kamau Bell. It explores the life and career of Bill Cosby up to his sexual assault cases, through conversations with comedians, journalists, and survivors. It premiered on January 30, 2022, on Showtime.

Release

The series had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022. It was released on January 30, 2022, on Showtime.

Reception

Critical reception

Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 83 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Cosby's response

A representative for Cosby issued the following statement days prior to the premiere:

Mr. Cosby has spent more than 50 years standing with the excluded; made it possible for some to be included; standing with the disenfranchised; and standing with those women and men who were denied respectful work because of race and gender within the expanses of the entertainment industries, continues to be the target of numerous media that have, for too many years, distorted and omitted truths... intentionally. Mr. Cosby vehemently denies all allegations waged against him. Let's talk about Bill Cosby. He wants our nation to be what it proclaims itself to be: a democracy.

BBC Airing Controversy

Following the documentary's airing on BBC, many took issue with a statement from one of the film's contributors, Sonalee Rashatwar which saw her claiming a consensual way to do what Cosby did existed and that "sex negatively" is largely responsible for these situations, which many condemned as promoting rape culture.