CBS News Decides Not to Air Rest of Cosby’s Interview

CBS News will not air the rest of Dan Rather’s interview with Bill Cosby on Sunday, including the entertainer’s admission that he had an affair with the mother of a woman who claims to be his illegitimate daughter, the network announced Thursday.

Facing criticism that the network was parceling out the exclusive interview to bolster ratings, CBS News president Andrew Heyward and “60 Minutes” producer Don Hewitt decided not to broadcast the rest of the interview, portions of which aired Monday on “The CBS Evening News.”

“I suggested to Dan and . . . Heyward that maybe too many people had picked over the interview and there wasn’t as much left as we thought there would be,” Hewitt said in a statement issued Thursday. “And furthermore, none of us could disagree all that much with columnists who said this story was being exploited.”

According to a transcript of the portion of the interview that was intended for “60 Minutes,” Cosby admits having an affair with Shawn Thompson in the mid-1970s.

When pressed by Rather if there is a chance he could be the father of Thompson’s daughter, Autumn Jackson, Cosby replied: “There is a possibility.”

Jackson, 22, and an accomplice are charged with trying to extort millions of dollars from the entertainer by threatening to allege that he is her father.