Shonda Rhimes Reacted to Bill Cosby's Plans to Teach Seminars on Avoiding Sexual Assault

"#1. Do not sexually assault anyone."

Shonda Rhimes on Bill Cosby teaching
(Image credit: Gilbert Carrasquillo+Stefanie Keenan)

When it comes to television, Shonda Rhimes is responsible for some of the most successful shows of the past decade. But despite previously being a successful sitcom star, Rhimes has zero time for Bill Cosby following the sexual assault trial brought against him, which was recently given a mistrial verdict. And when it comes to Cosby's plans to teach seminars on the subject of avoiding sexual assault, Rhimes is most definitely NOT here for it.

As Rhimes posted on Twitter, "From Shonda's Town Hall on Avoiding Sexual Assault Charges: 1)Do not sexually assault anyone. 2)Shut up-this attention belongs to survivors."

The creator of Grey's Anatomy makes two succinct, yet pertinent, points. First of all, more than fifty women have accused Cosby of sexual assault to date. Secondly, the voices of these women need to be heard, particularly as it's not possible to try most of the cases, as they are outside of the statute of limitations. Rhimes' response is perfect, and sums up exactly why Bill Cosby shouldn't be organising Town Hall meetings.

According to TMZ, Cosby's representatives Andrew Wyatt and Ebonee Benson announced the news on Good Day Alabama, and said, "This issue can affect any young person... and they need to know what they're facing when they're hanging out and partying, when they're doing certain things that they shouldn't be doing." While this might sound like an admission of guilt, "doing certain things that they shouldn't be doing," Cosby's spokespeople were adamant that the seminars were important.

They said, "People need to be educated—a brush against the shoulder, anything at this point can be considered sexual assault. It's a good thing to be educated about the law."

Luckily, Rhimes will continue to speak her mind on the subject, and like most of us, won't stand for Cosby's offensive new plans.

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Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.