Bill Cosby has tweeted his support of his one-time costar, Phylicia Rashad, whose position as dean of Howard University could be in jeopardy after she publicly supported his release from prison this week.
The hashtag 'ByePhilicia' began trending after the star - who played Cosby's wife Clair Huxtable in The Cosby Show between 1984 and 1992 - tweeted: 'FINALLY! A terrible wrong is being righted - a miscarriage of justice is corrected.'
On Sunday afternoon, Cosby retweeted a posting by singer and actress Stephanie Mills who in turn voiced her support for Rashad writing: 'I love you @phyliciarashad. If it’s true that Howard University wants to terminate her Position because they feel her comments about Mr. Cosby were insensitive, then they should give back the millions of dollars that he donated to the university.'
Cosby, himself, added his support tweeting: 'Thank you @iamstephaniemills your voice has always been powerful!'
Bill Cosby, 83, has tweeted his support of his one-time costar, Phylicia Rashad, 73, left, who had praised his release from prison last week. His support came via a tweet from actress Stephanie Mills, right
Cosby's support came after he retweeted a posting by singer and actress Stephanie Mills, pictured, who in turn voiced her support for Rashad
Hours later, Cosby followed up with a second tweet essentially justifying his release: 'DUE PROCESS IS NOT A TECHNICALITY. THE MEDIA CAN’T SILENCE THE TRUTH,' he wrote.
It's not known how much exactly Cosby has donated to Howard University over the years, however the comedian has been known for his generosity in giving money to historically black universities, of which Howard is one.
Cosby famously gave Spelman College in Atlanta $20 million in 1998 and has received an honorary degree from Howard.
Cosby's support of Rashad comes after the actress ultimately apologized for expressing her public support following his release from prison.
Bill Cosby is pictured on Thursday as he leaves his home in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania to fly out to see his wife in Massachusetts
Cosby later justified his release on Sunday tweeting 'Due process is not a technicality. The media can't silence the truth'
Students at Howard began campaigning for her to be fired as a dean at the historically black school.
Rashad, 73, also shared her thoughts on Instagram, after Cosby was freed three years into a 10 year sentence when his conviction for indecent assault was overturned.
But Rashad, who has been dean of the College of Fine Arts at the university since May, issued a groveling apology.
It remains to be seen whether Rashad's position at Howard is in jeopardy, but the university quickly distanced itself from her comments.
Phylicia Rashad was condemned by students at Howard University in Washington DC - where she is a dean - over a tweet supporting the release of Bill Cosby
Rahsad sent this tweet after Cosby was released Wednesday - and condemnation soon followed
Phylicia Rashad apologized for her earlier Bill Cosby tweet in letter to Howard University families promising to become 'stronger ally'
On Friday she sent a letter apologizing, saying she plans to spend the next few weeks engaging in 'active listening' and participating in 'trainings' to help her better reflect Howard's 'protocol and conduct' in the future, and become a 'stronger ally to sexual assault survivors.
'I am sorry. I intend to earn your trust and your forgiveness,' Rashad wrote.
'My remarks were in no way directed towards survivors of sexual assault. I vehemently oppose sexual violence and find no excuse for such behavior.
'Over the next few weeks, I plan to engage in active listening and participate in trainings to not only reinforce University protocol and conduct, but also to learn how I can become a stronger ally to sexual assault survivors and everyone who has suffered at the
