Bill Cosby satisfied his “craving for some Italian food” at a not-so-private dinner in Philadelphia Wednesday (Jan. 10), and seemed confident about his upcoming sexual assault retrial. The 80-year-old comedian dined with a friend at Italian eatery, La Veranda, but didn’t shy away from interacting with fans and the press.
“He had a taste for some Italian food, so we decided to fly down to Philadelphia,” Cosby’s spokesperson Andrew Wyatt said of the impromptu dinner, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
According to the publication, Cosby was in good spirits, and cracked a few jokes, while being flanked by “a crew” of publicists, reporters and camerarmen.
At some point during the dinner, he allegedly told a female reporter, “Please don’t put me on #MeToo,” in reference to the viral movement of women and men speaking out against sexual harassment and assault.
Before leaving the restaurant, Cosby expressed confidence about his upcoming retrial for sexual assault. “We’re ready,” he reportedly said before hopping into a waiting vehicle.
Last June, Cosby went to trial for allegedly sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a former employee at Temple University, Cosby’s alma mater. The case ended in a mistrial, with at least one juror questioning Constand’s credibility, and prosecutors’ inability to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. “We had no real new evidence,” the juror told CNN. “There was no soiled clothing, no smoking gun, no new evidence.”
Cosby is expected to be retried in April.
This article originally appeared in Vibe.