What might have been a standard reality show premiere has stirred up a bit of a controversy, as the premiere episode of “Celebrity Apprentice” featured Donald Trump and Piers Morgan chastising former “Cosby Show” starKeshia Knight Pulliam for refusing to call Bill Cosby and ask him for help on the show, then ultimately firing her over it. Generally, the former “Cosby Show” kids have refused to comment on the allegations (Pulliam retweeteda Today show quote of herself saying “That’s just not the man I know, so I can’t speak to it.” this morning), and the episode, like much reality programming, was filmed months ago, and the current firestorm about Cosby started afterward. In the episode itself, Pulliam makes no reference to sexual abuse allegations as a reason for not calling him, instead pointing out that she hasn’t talked to the man on the phone in years, thus making it a little awkward to suddenly call and ask for money. Which seems fairly legitimate as a reason, but not to Trump, who says “He would have helped you even if you hadn’t spoken to him in years.” In between retweetingsupport for the show, Trump had this to say:
This show was taped just before the terrible Bill Cosby revelations came to light.She still should have asked him for money-goes to charity.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2015
You can watch the full clip on Hulu, or over at Vulture.
