New Book Says Bill Cosby's Jokes Masked Pain

New Book Says Bill Cosby's Jokes Masked Pain
158341 02: Actor and comedian Bill Cosby poses for pictures May 17, 1993 in New York City. Cosby was the first black man to have a lead role opposite a white man in 'I Spy' and was the first to portray a black middle class functional family in 'The Cosby Show.' (Photo by Steve Allen/Liaison)
158341 02: Actor and comedian Bill Cosby poses for pictures May 17, 1993 in New York City. Cosby was the first black man to have a lead role opposite a white man in 'I Spy' and was the first to portray a black middle class functional family in 'The Cosby Show.' (Photo by Steve Allen/Liaison)

Journalist Mark Whitaker, author of the new book Cosby: His Life and Times, talks with The Root Editor-in-Chief Henry Louis Gates Jr. in a wide-ranging interview. Whitaker says comedian Bill Cosby became an accidental role model for him at a critical point in his childhood after his father left his family. He recalls embarking on a subconscious search for a black male role model when he stumbled upon a Cosby comedy album.

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