Cosby Shakes Hand, Makes #MeToo Comment

Bill Cosby referenced the #MeToo movement after a dinner at an Italian restaurant in Philadelphia on Wednesday, reports the AP. The 80-year-old comedian was dining with an old friend and his publicist, and some members of the media were invited to document the event. The Philadelphia Inquirer—which dubbed it a "decidedly odd affair"—says he shook a reporter's hand and said, "Please, don't put me on #MeToo," the social media movement denouncing sexual assault and misconduct.

"He had a taste for some Italian food, so we decided to fly down to Philadelphia," Cosby's spokesman was quoted as saying. When asked about his April retrial on charges he drugged and molested a woman in 2004, Cosby replied, "We're ready." Cosby's new trial was supposed to begin in November but was delayed until this spring so his new legal team could get up to speed. Jurors deadlocked in June and the judge declared a mistrial. He has said his sexual encounter was consensual. (More Bill Cosby stories.)