COSBY: His Life and Times

by Mark Whitaker

In stores September 16

COSBY: His Life and Times is the first major biography of an American icon, comedian Bill Cosby. Author Mark Whitaker had unprecedented access to Cosby and more than sixty of his closest friends and associates while researching the book. With novelistic detail, Whitaker traces Cosby'€˜s remarkable rise from an impoverished youth in Philadelphia to a career as one of the country's most influential, beloved, and controversial entertainers.

Whitaker is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir My Long Trip Home (2011). The former managing editor of CNN, he was previously Washington bureau chief for NBC News and a reporter and editor at Newsweek, where he rose to become the first African American leader of a national newsweekly. Now, with meticulous reporting and impressive detail, he provides the most comprehensive portrait of Bill Cosby to date and '€•makes a persuasive case for Cosby as a groundbreaking comic and a quiet but far-ranging pioneer of black advancement.'€– (Publishers Weekly)

Whitaker shares how Cosby pulled himself together after an aimless adolescence by joining the Navy, talking his way into college, and seizing his first breaks as a stand-up comedian. Through lively detail and anecdotes from Cosby and those who knew him best, we follow Cosby'€˜s journey from a Philadelphia housing project to The Tonight Show, where he first performed on television.

Published on the thirtieth anniversary of The Cosby Show, the book reveals the behind-the-scenes story of that groundbreaking sitcom as well as Cosby'€˜s bestselling albums, breakout role on I Spy, and pioneering place in children'€˜s television. But it also deals with professional setbacks and personal dramas, from an affair that sparked public scandal to the murder of his only son, and the private influence of his wife of fifty years, Camille Cosby. Whitaker explores the roots of Cosby'€˜s controversial views about race, as well as '€•the Cosby effect' that helped pave the way for a black president.

Among the new insights and details Whitaker shares:

The lasting impact of The Cosby Show: Whitaker reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the groundbreaking show - from the way it was created and how it revived the TV sitcom format to how it changed the world's perception of the black family and helped pave the way for the election of a black president.

The murder of Cosby's son Ennis: Whitaker reveals what Cosby, a famously private person, went through in the days following his son's death as he contemplated the long, painful process of accepting the unthinkable. He provides details about how Cosby first heard the news and what transpired at the private family burial, as well as the disorientation Cosby experienced at suddenly being publicly known for both humor and tragedy.

Cosby's controversial views on race: The book traces the roots of Cosby'€˜s much-debated positions on racial issues, placing Cosby in the context of the social landscape that shaped him and that he in turn helped to reshape. Whitaker explores the controversial address Cosby gave ten years ago on the legacy of '€•Brown v. Board of Education,' a speech that showed the world just how passionate and complicated a figure Bill Cosby is.

Public scandals involving Cosby: Whitaker deals frankly with Cosby'€˜s private life, including women, business disputes, and the Autumn Jackson extortion case.

Cosby's breakout role in I Spy and what went on behind the scenes: When cast as Alexander Scott in I Spy, Cosby became the first African-American to co-star on a primetime television show. Whitaker reveals both the challenges and triumphs Cosby experienced off camera in developing the role that would earn him three consecutive Emmy Awards. Whitaker shares how Cosby'€˜s initial awkwardness on camera almost got him replaced and recounts the pushback the network received from some advertisers and southern affiliates. We also see a great friendship develop with his co-star Robert Culp, who helped teach Cosby how to act and wrote several I Spy scripts to showcase Cosby's character.

The influence of Cosby's wife, Camille: Bill and Camille Cosby, now celebrating 50 years of marriage, fled Hollywood, raised five children, suffered through the murder of their only son and a temporary rebellion of one daughter, both earned graduate degrees from UMass, and built a collection of world class art. Through the memories and stories Cosby shared, Whitaker shows why, despite some tense moments in their marriage, Camille has been the greatest source of personal support and professional guidance throughout Cosby's career. For instance, when the couple lost most of their money in a mismanaged business deal in the 1960's, Cosby turned over supervision of all their finances to Mrs. Cosby.