EXCLUSIVE: Inside Bill Cosby and Late Comedian Tommy Smothers' Brutal Feud — Years Before Disgraced Sitcom Star's Bombshell Sexual Assault Trial
Tommy Smothers and Bill Cosby had a yearslong feud.
July 10 2026, Published 4:32 p.m. ET
Years before Bill Cosby was embroiled in his recent legal battles connected to sexual assault allegations, he was tangled in a brutal feud with fellow comedian and actor Tommy Smothers.
Prior to his death in 2023, Smothers not only spoke out on the sitcom star's alleged disdain for him, he also claimed Cosby once "punched" him in the head.
Inside Bill Cosby and Tommy Smothers' Yearslong Feud
Tommy Smothers claimed he clashed with Bill Cosby over political issues.
According to Smothers, their dispute began in the 1960s. He said he didn't agree with the fact that Cosby wasn't using his platform to speak out on major political issues, such as the Vietnam War and civil rights.
"At the time, I was very volatile and thought everyone should take a stand," he explained in a resurfaced interview. "I guess I said something that really p----d him off."
When they'd see each other over the next few years, Smothers said he'd attempt to greet the actor, but Cosby allegedly refused to "shake hands" with him.
Fistfight Ensues at the Playboy Mansion
Tommy Smothers alleged Bill Cosby once punched him at the Playboy Mansion.
Their rocky relationship took a turn for the worse after a run-in on The Tonight Show. Cosby was a guest host on the same night Smothers was also set to appear on the late-night program.
"He had this kind of dismissive way of introducing people and I nailed him, you know, comedic one-upmanship," Smothers once recalled. "I remember he said, ‘Maybe sometime I’ll knock you upside the head one of these days,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, go ahead and try.’ A couple of months later … boom … there it was."
In 1976, both entertainers were at a party at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion when things reportedly became physical. The altercation allegedly began after Smothers congratulated Cosby on his '70s variety show, Cos, without realizing that it had just been canceled.
'I've Never Seen Him Since'
Bill Cosby has been fighting sexual assault and misconduct allegations for years.
Apparently believing that the other comic had been mocking him, Cosby allegedly gave him a harsh look. Confused, Smothers said he told him, "Well, f--k you," and walked away.
"I should never have turned my back on him. He didn’t have the b---s to do it when I was looking. He slipped behind Hefner and sucker-punched me," Smothers said, according to a past interview. "He hit me right in the head with his fist – knocked me down."
Cosby allegedly then stood over him and was "screaming at him," per Smothers.
Eventually, Hefner himself allegedly broke up the fight.
"I’ve never seen him (Cosby) since then," Smothers noted. "I always thought, maybe if he turns around sometime I might give him a shot."
Sexual Misconduct Allegations
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Bill Cosby requested a new trial connected to allegations from Donna Motsinger.
By 2006, Smothers still didn't have a particularly fond opinion of The Cosby Show star. In an interview, he called him a a "great comedian," but an "a--hole."
"He kept his mouth shut during the Vietnam War and I didn’t see him much in any of the civil rights movement," he added. "But he’s a contemporary. We’re both the same age. We just took different trips to get there."
Smothers passed away on December 26, 2023. He was 86 years old.
Over the past few years, Cosby's life was filled with legal woes as he fought sexual misconduct allegations – which he has firmly denied. As Radar previously reported, he recently requested a new trial after he was ordered to pay Donna Motsinger millions in connection with her civil suit.
Smothers also faced accusations of his own. In the late 1990s, he was accused of sexual assault by his former stepdaughters. He denied all allegations.
