Chelsea Handler Says She Almost Fell Victim to Bill Cosby: ‘He Tried to Cosby Me’

Two weeks after a pajama clad Bill Cosby released a video statement to remind fans that he was “far from finished,” comedienne Chelsea Handler has come forward to offer a tale of her own encounter with the once squeaky clean family icon.

Joining the more than 30 women who have now accused Cosby of some form of sexual impropriety, Handler opened up Wednesday to Esquire about a 10-year-old experience with the former Dr. Huxtable.

In a joint interview with Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman about the state of relations between men and women in modern America, Handler recalled a “weird” run-in with the star. She simply stated: “He tried to Cosby me.”

“Oh, I was in Atlantic City playing, doing stand-up, and he was doing stand-up in Atlantic City in the same hotel, and at like three o’clock in the afternoon, someone from the hotel came down and said, ‘Oh, you know, Mr. Cosby would really like to meet you up in his hotel suite’,” she told Esquire.

She continued: “And I thought, ‘That’s really weird.’ This was like ten years ago. And I said, ‘That’s really weird. I don’t want to go alone.’ I go, ‘I don’t know him.'”

Handler then recounted her appreciation for a group of friends, who had tagged along for the meeting.

“So the three guys I was with– thank God these guys were with me. One was filming and one was like a producer; we were filming something — I brought them up with me to his room and thank God I did, because now I know what would’ve happened if I went up there alone,” she said.

She continued:

And I forgot about it when all the stories about Bill Cosby came out,” she continued. “I was like, ‘I didn’t even think of it.’ Then my friend texted me the other day saying, ‘Do you remember that night we went up to, or that afternoon we went up to Bill Cosby’s and you were so freaked out you made us come with you?’ And I said, ‘Yeah,’ and he said, ‘Hello! You could’ve been one of his victims if we weren’t there.’ And I went, ‘Oh my gosh.’

Handler finished, saying: “Yeah, so yeah, he’s guilty.”

Cosby has denied all accusations that he drugged and raped multiple women during his decades-long career and has refused to take questions regarding the ever-growing list of claimants.

In his March 9 video statement, the comedian invited fans to an upcoming show. “You know I’ll be hilarious. Can’t wait!” he said.

Cosby also included a message with the video, but made no mention of the allegations: “Dear Fans: I hope you enjoy my wonderful video message that’s filled with laughter. Hey, hey, hey, I’m far from finished.”