‘30 Rock’ Episode Slyly Called Out Bill Cosby For Sexual Assault Back In ‘09

Yesterday, Jenni Maier of Crushable pointed out that while watching a re-run of 30 Rock, she noticed a joke that she and other viewers may have overlooked as a throwaway line back when the episode first aired in March of 2009.

“The Bubble,” (Season 3, Episode 15), which features guest star Jon Hamm, focuses primarily on Hamm’s character’s oddities but features a B-plot of Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) threatening to leave TGS for good after a fight with Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) and Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin). Jack thinks he can win Tracy back by having one of his childhood idols convince him it’s the right choice: Bill Cosby.

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Jack has a Bill Cosby impersonator (played by the comedian Godfrey) call Tracy to coax him into coming back to TGS to which Tracy angrily replies, “Bill Cosby, you got a lotta nerve gettin’ on the phone wit’ me after what you did to my Aunt Paulette… 1971. Cincinnati. She was a cocktail waitress with the droopy eye!”

It’s worth noting that Tina Fey is the credited writer of this episode, too.

Maier points out that perhaps this was a way for 30 Rock writers to call out Cosby, a man accused of sexual assault for years, back when allegations were swiftly and consistently swept under the rug. Yet, after comedian Hannibal Buress’ fearless accusations back in October, more and more alleged victims have stepped forward accusing Cosby of similar abuse that spans decades.

Watch the clip above and decide for yourself if 30 Rock writers were taking a subtle jab or if this is some bizarre coincidence. You can watch the entirety of “The Bubble” on Netflix.

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So Fun Fact, 30 Rock Called Out Bill Cosby For Sexual Assault All The Way Back In Season Three [Crushable]

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