Phylicia has apologized to Howard University students while Bill Cosby agrees with actress Stephanie Mills that the school should return his donation if they really fire Phylicia.

• Jul 5, 2021

AceShowbiz - Actress Phylicia Rashad has deleted her controversial Twitter post celebrating Bill Cosby's prison release and offered up her "most sincere apology" to those she offended.

The TV icon has been under attack online since Wednesday (30Jun21), when she hailed Pennsylvania Supreme Court officials' decision to overturn her former "[t=The Cosby Sho" co-star's 2018 rape conviction and set him free, citing legal technicalities during his trial.

"FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!" she tweeted, alongside a photo of a smiling Cosby.

The instant backlash prompted Rashad to try and clarify her comment, insisting she stands by sexual assault survivors for speaking out, and claiming she didn't mean to be "insensitive" with her post - although she notably did not apologise or retract her support for the disgraced comedian.

She faced further criticism over her handling of the situation, which earned her a public rebuke by officials at Washington, D.C.'s Howard University, where she was recently appointed Dean of the historically black institution's Fine Arts College, as current and former students called for Rashad to be fired.

Now the actress has written a formal apology letter to those attending Howard University.

"This week, I tweeted a statement that caused so much hurt in so many people - both broadly and inside the Howard community," she began. "I offer my most sincere apology. I have since removed that upsetting tweet."

"My remarks were in no way directed towards survivors of sexual assault," Rashad continued. "I vehemently oppose sexual violence, find no excuse for such behavior, and I know that Howard University has a zero-tolerance policy toward interpersonal violence."

She went on to reveal her plans 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 hands of an abuser."

"Thank you for voicing your concerns, for speaking your truth and for holding leaders accountable for our actions and words," she concluded.

Meanwhile, Cosby himself has weighed in on the Howard scandal, backing comments made by singer/actress Stephanie Mills, who called for university officials to return the funds previously donated by the veteran comedian if they wanted to fire Rashad.

"I love you @phyliciarashad," Mills tweeted on Saturday. "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."

Reacting to the remarks, the actor replied, "Thank you @iamstephaniemills your voice has always been powerful!"