A "penthouse suite," letting his new friends eat and comparing himself to Nelson Mandela. Bill Cosby is now out of prison after being sentenced for sexual assault, but what was his life like on the inside?
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00:00A penthouse suite, letting his new friends eat, and comparing himself to Nelson Mandela.
00:06Bill Cosby is now out of prison after being sentenced for sexual assault, but what was
00:11his life like on the inside?
00:13Bill Cosby was sent to SCI Phoenix, a maximum security prison outside of Philadelphia that
00:19was constructed in 2018 for $400 million.
00:22The actor settled into his new digs in a special housing unit for four months, instead of immediately
00:27mingling with the general population.
00:30The move came out of special attention to his security, as his celebrity status made
00:34him a potential target inside the facility.
00:36Right now, the 81-year-old, who is legally blind, is being housed in a single cell near
00:41the infirmary."
00:42Prior to the change, Cosby's special housing unit featured a 7-by-13-foot layout with a
00:4710-foot ceiling.
00:49After being moved out of isolation, the former sitcom star moved to a separate one-person
00:53cell, which he famously referred to as his, quote, penthouse suite.
00:57The cell block Cosby lived in was not specified for older inmates, and he was surrounded by
01:01neighboring inmates of various ages.
01:04His adjustment was aided by the support of other inmates, some of whom became fans.
01:09According to his publicist Andrew Wyatt's statements to TMZ, the former comedian was
01:12often greeted by cheers and applause by other inmates and their loved ones when he frequented
01:17the visiting area.
01:18According to statements obtained by The New York Times, Cosby was also assigned helpers
01:22while serving out his time behind bars.
01:25Pennsylvania Department of Corrections spokesperson Amy Worden told the publication that the actor
01:30was given this privilege due to his legal blindness from the disease glaucoma.
01:35Standard cells at the prison that housed Bill Cosby contain a small single or double metal
01:39bed, personal locker, table, stainless steel toilet and sink, as well as a stool bolted
01:44to the floor.
01:45But unlike other correctional facilities, Cosby enjoyed air conditioning inside SCI
01:50Phoenix, making his sentence a bit more bearable in the summer months.
01:55The inmates at the Pennsylvania prison also shower in single stalls protected by plastic
01:59barriers, as opposed to showering in groups.
02:02According to some prisoners, the former actor was enjoying his life in prison just fine.
02:07In addition to a personal television in his cell, Cosby was able to communicate with others
02:11on the outside by accessing his email account on a personal tablet.
02:16A former prisoner, Phil DiPietro, told the National Enquirer in 2019,
02:21You wouldn't believe the luxuries afforded to him.
02:24He has more privacy and help than if he was back living at his estate.
02:28DiPietro also said his large commissary budget offered him free reign to eat on his dime
02:33and avoid the food offered during mealtimes.
02:35Instead, Cosby used his large commissary budget to enjoy foods like tuna steak, bacon, cheeses,
02:41sausage, and turkey.
02:43Cosby decided not to work a paying job at SCI Phoenix due to his blindness.
02:48Instead, he used his large fortune to buy snacks for himself and his fellow inmates.
02:52As DiPietro told the National Enquirer,
02:55Being in the same unit, we had the privilege of ordering twice as much commissary per week
03:00because Cosby doesn't eat most of the prison food, and he buys everyone on the block something
03:04on each order.
03:05Those who served time in Cosby's unit also had the added benefit of getting to indulge
03:09in special perks while the actor was behind bars, like extra time in the recreation yard
03:14and being able to eat ahead of other inmates.
03:17Despite 60 women coming forward and accusing him of sexual misconduct since his 2018 conviction,
03:24Cosby told NNPA Newswire that he continues to maintain his innocence.
03:28He confirmed his intentions to the public, writing,
03:30"'When I come up for parole, they're not going to hear me say that I have remorse.
03:34I was there.
03:35I don't care what group of people come along and talk about this when they weren't there.
03:39They don't know.'"
03:41Cosby likened himself to legendary leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela,
03:46claiming it was his efforts to fight for equality that landed him in jail.
03:50As he wrote in a 2019 statement,
03:52"'My political beliefs, my actions of trying to humanize all races, genders, and religions
03:57landed me in this place surrounded by barbed wire fencing, a room made of steel and iron.'"
04:03The disgraced comedian also claimed in his jailhouse interview that he became a role
04:06model in S.C.I.
04:07Phoenix, breaking up potential fights and trying to advise fellow inmates.
04:13According to his publicist, Andrew Wyatt, Bill Cosby declined to have unnecessary visitors
04:17while serving his time.
04:19As Wyatt told NBC10,
04:20"'Right now, I'm his only visitor outside of his attorneys, and that's the way he wants
04:25it.'"
04:26Wyatt explained that Cosby refused to let his wife, Camille, visit him as well.
04:30Instead, he spoke with her over the phone three times a day and accepted biweekly visits
04:34from Wyatt.
04:35As Wyatt told NBC News in 2019,
04:38"'He does not want his family to be exploited that way by coming to visit him and it be
04:42made a circus out of by the media.'"
04:44The publicist told the news outlet that the former sitcom star kept himself busy in prison
04:48by keeping up his fitness, opting to wake up after 3 a.m. to leg lifts, push-ups, and
04:53abdominal exercises in his cell before getting breakfast.
04:57Cosby also reportedly was cranking out potential show ideas to pitch once released from prison.
05:02Cosby first filed an appeal in Montgomery County Court in Pennsylvania in 2018, hoping
05:07to overturn his conviction on what he and his lawyers believed to be an unfair trial.
05:12He was denied an appeal by the Pennsylvania Appellate Court in 2019, with all judges unanimously
05:17agreeing that he had indeed been given a fair trial.
05:20Cosby may have been eligible for parole had it not been for his refusal to take part in
05:24prison therapy courses.
05:26His sentence was reviewed in May 2021, but the Pennsylvania Parole Board declined Cosby's
05:31petition for early release after he declined to participate in a sexual offender treatment
05:36program.
05:37However, Cosby ultimately prevailed in his bid for freedom in June 2021, just shy of
05:42three years into his potentially 10-year sentence.
05:46He recalled getting the news to WDAS, saying,
05:48"...I was napping in my cell.
05:50All of a sudden I just hear this yelling, Mr. Cosby, Mr. Cosby, you have to wake up
05:55now.
05:56I just felt hands on me, saying, look, you have to get out of here, you have to go home,
06:00you're free."
06:01But he will always go down in history as a sexual predator, as a serial rapist.
06:09If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
06:14Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline
06:20at 1-800-656-HOPE, 4673.