Ted Danson criticizes 'horrible' Bill Cosby but defends 'The Cosby Show'

On Tuesday, Bill Cosby was sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison for sexual assault.

That same night on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Ted Danson brought up Cosby while talking about the success of Cheers, knowing full well he was treading on shaky ground.

“It’s a bizarre, sad, strange day,” Danson began. “What I’m leading up to is that the reason why Cheers became a top 10 show was because of The Cosby Show. It elevated everything.”

Cheers and The Cosby Show both aired as part of NBC’s highly successful Thursday must-see TV lineup during the late ’80s and early ’90s.

“It was a great show,” Danson said of Cosby’s famed sitcom. “It’s a horrible thing that he did, and whatever, not my place to vote on that. But the show had other actors, and it was an amazing show. And I think it’s OK to say that.”

Meyers chimed in on what Cosby’s downfall will mean for the legacy of his show, saying, “It’s not at the top of the list of the price that’s been paid by the awful things that he did. But it is strange that this thing now will be forever tarnished.”

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