Bill Cosby's TV wife Phylicia Rashad defends her former costar

For eight seasons, Phylicia Rashad starred alongside Bill Cosby as his TV wife on "The Cosby Show." The actress, who played Clair Huxtable, broke her silence about the long list of sexual abuse allegations against her former on-screen husband, coming to his defense and speculating that there was a conspiracy against him.

"I love him," she told Showbiz 411 at a lunch for the film "Selma."

"Forget these women," she declared. "What you're seeing is the destruction of a legacy. And I think it's orchestrated. I don't know why or who's doing it, but it's the legacy. And it's a legacy that is so important to the culture."

She implied she thinks the allegations against Cosby are part of a plot to destroy his planned comeback.

"Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV," she said. "And it's worked. All his contracts have been cancelled."

In particular, Rashad told the site she doesn't believe the allegations that have come from former supermodels Beverly Johnson and Janice Dickinson, who have both claimed they were drugged by the famed comedian. Dickinson has said he raped her.

"Oh, please," Rashad said of the two women's stories.

As for Cosby's wife, Camille Cosby, Rashad said, "This is a tough woman, a smart woman. She's no pushover."

Rashad added that she thinks at this point, though many are eagerly waiting to hear an explanation from the "I Spy" star, she doubts it would be of any help.

"If he spoke now, what do you think the media would do with it?" she mused.

More than 15 women have accused the 77-year-old comedian of sexual assault in recent months. As a result, Netflix and NBC both canceled projects for the actor that they had in the works. Many of his standup shows across the U.S. were canceled as well.