Rochelle and Cosby have a history. She had a recurring guest role on "The Cosby Show" from 1990 to 1992, appearing in four episodes.
A topless protester was seen launching herself in the direction of Bill Cosby as he arrived at court Monday for the start of his sexual assault retrial in Pennsylvania.
The demonstrator, Nicolle Rochelle, had "women's lives matter" scrawled on her chest and the names of Cosby’s accusers across her body when she jumped out of the crowd outside the Norristown courthouse.
The cops took her down pretty quickly and she never got close to the shamed comedian.
Cosby is said to be legally blind and had difficulty trying to see what was happening. He appeared confused as the woman was led away in handcuffs Monday morning.
The European feminist group Femen has taken credit for the protest, according to reports. They say the protester was there to call attention to sexual violence and the need to hold perpetrators responsible.
Rochelle, a 38-year-old singer and actress, spoke to Inside Edition exclusively, right after she was released from custody.
"I guess in the end I wanted him to feel uncomfortable the way that he made other women feel," she said.
Rochelle and Cosby have a history. She had a recurring guest role on "The Cosby Show" from 1990 to 1992, appearing in four episodes.
"I felt like Bill Cosby was a great guy at that time," she said. "It hurt me when I found out what happened with him and all of those victims. I thought, 'Wow, that guy was so great. This is what was really going on.'"
Following the incident, police were quick to react to what was clearly a security breach. They've now added a second fence to serve as an extra layer of protection for Cosby. From now on, there will be a wide buffer zone between Cosby and the protesters.
It was a dramatic start to the first day of Cosby's retrial where he is heading back to court on charges he drugged and molested Temple University employee Andrea Constand in 2004.
The first trial ended in a hung jury in June 2017. He says it was consensual. The retrial is expected to last about a month.
For Cosby’s latest run in court, he has a new legal team led by Tom Mesereau, who successfully defended Michael Jackson at his 2005 child molestation trial.
Cosby is set to face tough testimony from Constand plus five other accusers, including former supermodel Janice Dickinson.
The comedian’s spokesman Andrew Wyatt spoke to Inside Edition about the protest.
"You are out here protesting for sexual assault victims and you are protesting by taking your clothing off," Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt told Inside Edition. "What kind of message does that send? I think it was a shame, sad and in poor taste."
Cosby has denied all charges against him.
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