This Week in True-Crime Podcasts: Chasing Cosby, The Officer’s Wife, and More
Investigative journalist Nicki Weisensee Egan has been listening to the stories of women sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby since 2005. In Chasing Cosby (an L.A. Times podcast), Egan traces the history of Cosby the predator via the stories of the women he preyed upon, as well as those who held information about Cosby’s behavior long before it came out (like in 1965), what precipitated his fall, and the aftermath.
The latest episode includes the story of Lili Bernard, a guest star on The Cosby Show, who tells the story of being drugged and raped by Cosby multiple times. If it wasn’t already crystal clear to you why survivor stories are important, listen to hear how the dynamics of race, power, and money all contributed to silencing her and other women. Cosby’s actions were an open secret, and while it’s not a surprise that it remained one for so long (see Harvey Weinstein), Chasing Cosby affirms the existence of the mechanisms that keep evil men in place, and sees to it that the survivors are able to tell their stories without interference, judgement, or interrogation. —Chanel Dubofsky
