Viswa Vanapalli
The third episode of Showtime’s ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’ has W. Kamau Bell delve into Bill Cosby’s career through the 1980s. At the same time, the viewers learn of the increasing number of women who accused him of sexual assault. Towards the end, the show talks about Andrea Constand, who would later become the focus in a high-profile trial that ended with Cosby’s conviction. So, let’s find out more about her then, shall we?
Who is Andrea Constand?
Andrea Constand is a Toronto, Canada, native who played basketball while in college in the USA and later professionally in Italy. In the early 2000s, Andrea took up a job at Temple University, Pennsylvania, as the Director of Operations of the Women’s Basketball team. Around the same time, she met Bill Cosby, an alumnus of the university. Initially, a friendship developed, with Andrea saying that Cosby invited her to dinners and offered advice regarding her career.
Andrea recalled Cosby making sexual advances towards her in the past when he allegedly touched Andrea inappropriately after unbuttoning her pants. However, one night in January 2004, it went far beyond that. That evening, she said Cosby invited her to his home in Pennsylvania to talk about her career. When Andrea got there, she said Cosby handed her blue pills and urged her to drink wine. But a few minutes later, Andrea remembered feeling dizzy and going in and out of consciousness.
Cosby then offered to lay her down on the couch, Andrea later said, “I was aware that his hands were on my breasts. His hands were in my pants and his fingers in my vagina . . . . I also remember him taking my right hand and placing my hand on his penis . . . . I was unable to move my body. I was pretty much frozen.” She woke up a few hours later, partially naked, and left eventually. However, as Cosby would later put it, he thought what happened was consensual, saying, “I don’t hear her say anything, and so I continue, and I go into the area that is somewhere between permission and rejection. I am not stopped.”
While Andrea went to the police in January 2005, the authorities ultimately didn’t press charges because they felt there was not a lot of evidence in addition to purported inconsistencies in Andrea’s story. A civil suit was later settled out of court, and she was reportedly paid over $3 million. In a deposition that was later made public, Cosby at the time admitted to acquiring quaaludes in the past to give to women he wanted to have sex with.
Furthermore, the district attorney from back then had agreed not to prosecute Cosby if he made admissions during the civil suit deposition. But as more women began to come forward over the years, the new district attorney chose to try Cosby. Ultimately, he was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in relation to Andrea and two others. The guilty verdict was welcome news for Andrea, who believed testifying against him was the right thing to do.
Where is Andrea Constand Now?
After the initial incident in 2004, Andrea Constand moved back to Toronto. She had to deal with anxiety, depression, nightmares, and flashbacks back then. Andrea also expressed her disappointment when Cosby’s conviction was overturned on a technicality in 2021. Despite that, she talked about not changing how she went about things, adding, “It was worth it. But it was worth it because I didn’t feel alone. I had a whole community, a whole army of women and other survivors, strangers, family, friends, who were right there with me. Bill Cosby walks free, but it doesn’t change the fact that my testimony was believed.”
Since then, Andrea Constand has written a book detailing her ordeal, titled ‘The Moment.’ She still lives in Toronto and runs a massage therapy business in the city. Furthermore, Andrea used her experience to help others and started a nonprofit organization called Hope Healing and Transformation. The institution provides support and resources for sexual assault survivors.
Read More: Where is Eden Tirl Now?
