Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby is making the best of his time in prison.
While speaking with WCAU-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in a Tuesday, February 12th
report, the 81-year-old's spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, shared an update on how the man formerly
known as America's Dad is doing behind bars at Pennsylvania's State Correctional Institute
at Phoenix.
In the two-part interview, Wyatt said that the actor had “prepared himself” for prison:
"He's mentally strong.
He's just a strong man."
As widely covered by countless media outlets, Cosby received a three-to ten-year prison
sentence in late September 2018.
But the actor, who will also be required to attend mandatory monthly counseling for the
rest of his life, has since maintained his innocence.
Wyatt insisted in his interview that Cosby is holding up well in prison.
"Despite the circumstances, he said this is an amazing experience."
"Did he really use the term 'amazing experience?'"
"Yeah, he used the term 'amazing experience.'"
As Nicki Swift previously reported, the The Cosby Show patriarch, more recently known
as inmate Number NN7687, was initially moved into a private 9-by-12-foot cell located next
to the maximum security prison's medical center last fall.
However, after spending four months acclimating to life in prison, the fallen comic was moved
into his new single cell residence in a general population unit in early February 2019, according
to Page Six.
A look at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections' website reveals that SCI Phoenix is a newer
correctional facility which first opened in July 2018.
The prison's premises include 3,830 beds in 15 separate housing units, as well as a barber
shop, law library, recreational library, non-denominational church, gym, and a mural arts program.
Among a multitude of classes and programs offered to prisoners is a "Treatment"
course, a course in which Page Six reports Cosby has been ordered to participate.
Shortly after Cosby's sentencing, a department spokesperson named Amy Worden shared some
insight into the Ghost Dad actor's daily routine, revealing the institution’s strict meal
times and saying:
"Prisons operate under a really tight time deadline.
There are four counts a day, and the inmates need to be in their cells at that time."
As for Cosby's current diet, Andrew Wyatt revealed during his recent interview that
the once-beloved comedian has since cut down on his coffee, dessert, and bread intake during
his prison stint.
As Cosby’s spokesperson explained to Philadelphia's local news station, this dietary change has
led Cosby to not only shed some pounds, but to also cross a longtime goal off his list.
"The funny part about him is Mrs. Cosby has been trying to stop him from drinking coffee
for 55 years and she said it took this to stop him from drinking coffee."
Speaking of the missus, Wyatt previously told Page Six that she and Cosby's daughters have
yet to visit the former TV star in prison, albeit at Cosby's own request.
Wyatt, Cosby’s only visitor apart from legal counsel explained to the media outlet:
"He doesn't want to have them in that environment.
Why put them in that position, to make it turn into some form of a circus?"
However, Mr. and Mrs. Cosby do keep in touch.
According to Wyatt, the married couple speak on the phone three times a day.
While Cosby may not see many visitors, the disgraced comedian hasn’t wholly shied away
from socializing when and where he can.
Spokesperson Amy Worden recently told the Associated Press that the prison has taken
the actor’s age and ability into account during his stay, sometimes assigning inmates
to Cosby, who claims to be legally blind, to help him get around.
Cosby released his first official message from prison to NBC 10 in Philadelphia on Wednesday,
February 13th.
While alleging that he himself is a victim of "entrapment" at the hands of "a low-life
District Attorney and a corrupt Judge," Cosby continued to maintain his innocence.
He wrote that he "will never have remorse" for the crimes of which he was convicted,
calling himself a “political prisoner” and continuing:
"My political beliefs, my actions of trying to humanize all races, genders, and religions
landed me in this place surrounded by barb wire fencing, a room made of steel and iron…
I stand upright as a Political Prisoner and I Smile.