The comedian revisited the encounter during a PBS NewsHour “Settle In” segment with Geoff Bennett.
Hughley said Cosby arrived at his New York radio show and was dismissive toward co-hosts Jacque Reid and Steve Wilson. Cosby challenged Hughley’s use of the N-word. Hughley responded by bringing up the sexual assault allegations that had followed the entertainer. Executives then came downstairs, took the recording and kept the segment from being broadcast. Hughley did not identify the executives or say who ultimately made the decision. He said the tape never resurfaced, and the interview remained buried.
The moment left him with a difficult distinction. Hughley acknowledged that Cosby changed television and widened the space available to Black families on screen. He also rejected the idea that cultural importance should block scrutiny of a powerful person’s conduct. The allegations have also produced civil judgments. In March 2026, a California jury found Cosby liable for sexually assaulting and battering Donna Motsinger in 1972 and awarded her $19.25 million. Cosby’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, said an appeal was planned.
The Cosby story fit the larger theme Hughley brought to “Settle In”: success may explain how a person gained influence, but it does not erase what that influence was used to protect.