This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Supermodel Beverly Johnson Claims Bill Cosby Drugged Her

Beverly Johnson Claims Bill Cosby Drugged Her

Another model has stepped forward with shocking claims against Bill Cosby.

Supermodel Beverly Johnson—the first black woman to land the cover of Vogue—claims in a new Vanity Fair essay that the comedian drugged her in the mid-'80's.

In the essay, the 62-year-old says she met Cosby when he asked her to audition for a role on the hit TV series, "The Cosby Show." After appearing to take an interest in her acting career, the comedian invited Johnson back to his home in New York City, where she claims he asked her to act "drunk" and then slipped a drug in her cappuccino. (By this time, Johnson and daughter Anansa had already been to his home once prior to the incident.)

"I told him I didn't drink coffee that late in the afternoon because it made getting to sleep at night more difficult," Johnson explains in Vanity Fair. "He wouldn't let it go. He insisted that his espresso machine was the best model on the market and promised I'd never tasted a cappuccino quite like this one."

She continues, "I was a top model during the '70s, a period when drugs flowed at parties and photo shoots like bottled water at a health spa. I’d had my fun and experimented with my fair share of mood enhancers. I knew by the second sip of the drink Cosby had given me that I’d been drugged — and drugged good."

After feeling woozy and starting to feel limp, Johnson claims Cosby put his hands around her waist. After leaning on him for support, she asked him: "You are a motherfucker aren’t you?”

Johnson reveals that Cosby got "pissed" when she wouldn't stop yelling at him. "I recall his seething anger at my tirade and then him grabbing me by my left arm hard and yanking all 110 pounds of me down a bunch of stairs as my high heels clicked and clacked on every step," she writes in VF. "I feared my neck was going to break with the force he was using to pull me down those stairs." Cosby then put her in a taxi to go home.

As for why she stayed silent for decades, the model explains that she only found the courage to tell her story now after hearing other women's allegations, including fellow supermodel Janice Dickinson, who recently claimed Cosby sexually assaulted her.

"For a long time I thought it was something that only happened to me, and that I was somehow responsible," she says. "So I kept my secret to myself, believing this truth needed to remain in the darkness. But the last four weeks have changed everything, as so many women have shared similar stories, of which the press have belatedly taken heed.

"Over the years I've met other women who also claim to have been violated by Cosby. Many are still afraid to speak up. I couldn't sit back and watch the other women be vilified and shamed for something I knew was true."

As of press time, 19 women have publicly accused the 77-year-old of assault. Cosby has not commented on Beverly Johnson's accusations.

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.