Cosby Accuser Comes Forward, Sheds Anonymity to "Speak Her Truth"

Jena T., one of more than 35 women who’ve accused Bill Cosby of sexual offenses has come forward and revealed her full name — Jennifer Kaya Thompson. While she’s not involved in any of the litigation against Cosby, Thompson says she needed to come forward for two important reasons: Credibility and the chance to speak her truth.

Cosby is currently entering court in order to discredit three of the women who have accused him of inappropriate sexual contact with them and Thompson believes that by revealing herself now, any testimony that she gives will be given a greater weight. Thompson says she’s grateful to the “Jane Doe that went before her,” claiming that the first Jane Doe’s testimony gave her strength and confidence. Thompson had always wanted to share her story, but, according to People, not with the greater public. Now, she tells the magazine in an exclusive interview, she has the strength she needs to attach a name to the accusations against her former idol.

Thompson met Cosby when she was a young modeling hopeful who was sent to meet Cosby in the hopes of launching a career. While that dream has gone, she wants to share her story so that her nieces and nephews as well as other individuals enamored by Hollywood know what’s out there. When she shared her story in 2014, it was written off as fantastical and unsubstantiated due to her anonymous status. She hopes that attaching her image and name to her account of what happened will change that.

Thompson says that revealing all this will allow her to go to seep at night knowing that she’s an honest person, but will also, hopefully, give Cosby a chance to think about his actions.

“My ultimate hope would be for him to ‘come clean,’ admit his weakness, attempt to rectify where he has harmed so very many (within himself first, of course), and maybe even have a chance for redeeming his own soul/karma as well.”