Viswa Vanapalli
The second episode of Showtime’s ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’ explores the comedian’s career through the 1970s and 1980s, along with the increasing number of sexual assault allegations against him. Over the years, several women have come forward to talk about their experience with Bill Cosby, often saying they were drugged or given a drink that led to them passing out. Janice Baker-Kinney, who met Cosby in the 1980s, had a similar account to share on the docuseries. So, if you’re wondering what happened, here’s what we know.
Who is Janice Baker-Kinney?
When Janice Baker-Kinney was in her early 20s, she dropped out of college in New Jersey in search of a different life, eventually ending up in Reno, Nevada. Over there, she worked as a bartender at Harrah’s Casino, where many stars came to perform. One of them was Bill Cosby sometime in the 1980s. Back then, Janice remembered being invited to a pizza party at the house where Cosby was staying while in town.
When Janice turned up there with a co-worker, she said it was only the three of them. At the time, Janice felt that the co-worker was interested in Cosby, and she was going to play her wingman. However, once they got there, Cosby offered her two pills that she thought were quaaludes. Janice later said, “In hindsight, it was a stupid thing to do. But at that time, I thought, ‘If Bill Cosby says it’s OK, it must be all right to take these.'” Soon after that, she began to feel dizzy while playing a game of backgammon.
While Janice passed out after that, she remembered her co-worker leaving and Cosby putting his hand inside her shirt. She blacked out, and her next memory was waking up naked next to Cosby, who was without his clothes as well. Janice remembered feeling like she had sex the night before. The former bartender never talked about it in the past because she was mortified. Janice later said in court, “I blamed myself. I thought it was my fault for 30 years. That’s why I didn’t say I was raped or feel that way.”
Janice was among many women who testified at Cosby’s trial in April 2018, at the end of which he was found guilty of aggravated indecent assault. She said that once other women went public with their stories, it started to fall in place for her, adding, “One day I see an article, and it was like a light bulb went over my head because that’s like what happened to me. It still takes me everything within my being to say the words ‘I was raped’ because I still carry the guilt.”
Where is Janice Baker-Kinney Now?
While Janice was happy and relieved when Cosby was found guilty, it didn’t last long because his conviction was overturned in 2021. Despite that, she believed it wouldn’t change what Cosby did. Janice said, “He is not innocent. He will never be innocent, and I need to hold on to that. He’s going to always claim that he’s innocent, but the 60-plus women that have come forward, we all know the truth.” Today, Janice works as a stage manager for sports broadcasters. She has been married since 2007 and calls the San Fransisco Bay Area in California her home.
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