It doesn’t seem to take much for Kanye West to create controversy, but a brief tweet posted on Tuesday has sparked widespread outrage.
Without any context, West tweeted: “Bill Cosby innocent!”
The proclamation quickly went viral, and has been retweeted over 37,000 times and liked over 42,000 times.
Actress and comedian Sarah Silverman called West out for his comment.
While some fans supported West’s views, many took him to task for supporting the legendary comedian, who has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women.
Cosby is facing criminal charges in Pennsylvania in the case of Andrea Constand. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for March 8, after a judge ruled that the case can go forward despite a verbal promise from the former district attorney that Cosby would not face criminal charges if he gave testimony in Constand’s civil suit. Constand has accused Cosby of drugging her and sexually assaulting her in 2004.