"Cosby kid" Keshia Knight Pulliam talked to NBC's "The Today Show" Wednesday morning about why she is supporting Bill Cosby, as jurors continue deliberating follow testimony in his sexual assault trial.
"It’s easy to be there for someone when things are good," she said. "I wanted to do what I would have wanted to receive."
She walked with him into court last week and sat through opening arguments.
"It was important for me to be there," said Pulliam, who played Rudy as a child on "The Cosby Show" back in the day. The new mom now lives in Atlanta. "I truly believe you’re innocent until proven guilty."
Cosby is accused of drugging and assaulting Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his estate more than a decade ago. His legal team has branded the encounter as a consensual, romantic liaison.
Pulliam didn't hear testimony from Cosby's accuser but said allegations don't square with her memories of him.
"That’s not the man I experienced," she said.
She said Cosby, who is 79, walks with a cane and has said he is now unable to see, is in a positive mood even as his fate hangs in the balance.
"He’s been in good spirits, he’s been upbeat," she said. "Knowing Mr. Cosby is to know he's a comedian. There’s always that sense of laughter. I was grateful to see his spirit hasn’t been broken by this process, because it's arduous. It's just not a good situation."
She does not dismiss the serious allegations her television father faces.
"As a woman, as a graduate of Spelman College ... and being the mother to a daughter it’s nothing I take lightly or that I condone in any way, shape or form," she said. "He’s clear that yes, he has been unfaithful to his wife. Ultimately if she chooses to forgive him for those things, that’s between the two of them."
If the jury returns a guilty verdict, Pulliam said, she'll be "disappointed" but it won't change her regard for Cosby.
"People falter," she said. "People make mistakes. Things happen."
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