Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images

Billy Cosby was released from prison yesterday following the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to vacate his sexual assault conviction.  As the nation is still reeling from the shockwaves of the reversal in one of the most high-profile trials of the #MeToo movement, the once-beloved entertainer has released his first official statement.

Cosby, who served three years of his three-to-ten year sentence, wrote: “I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence.” The 83-year-old continued, “Thank you to all my fans, supports and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law.”

More than 50 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault and misconduct over several decades. In 2018, a jury found him guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand. At the height of the #MeToo movement’s monumental work, his trial was a glint of hope for survivors and advocates who have long witnessed and endured the grave injustice of being silenced by the law. Moreover, his conviction — as one of the most adored television fathers — captured the the entertainment industry’s pervasive culture of assault and misogyny. After being denied parole in May for refusing to participate in a therapy program sexually violent predators, his sudden release calls into question the punitive system’s ability to protect survivors yet again.

Attorney Gloria Allred, who has notably represented sexual assault victims, decried the court’s decision as a “devastating” act against Cosby’s accusers. In a statement attained by Variety, Allred said, “Despite the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision, this was an important fight for justice.” Emphasizing that the overturned conviction is not an exoneration, she continued, “Even though the court overturned the conviction on technical grounds, it did not vindicate Bill Cosby’s conduct and should not be interpreted as a statement or a finding that he did not engage in the acts of which he has been accused.” The court cited a non-prosecution agreement between Cosby and a previous district attorney and ultimately ruled that the agreement in place should have prevented his conviction.

In spite of the fervent backlash, Cosby’s former co-star and longtime friend Phylicia Rashad enthusiastically rejoiced his release. “A terrible wrong is being right — a miscarriage of justice is corrected,” she wrote to Twitter. The newly appointed dean at Howard University’s College of Fine Arts sparked an uproar as users condemned the tweet as an apathetic remark to sexual assault survivors at large. Rashad, later responding to the furor, added: “I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth.”