Former Model Accuses Bill Cosby Of Drugging And Sexually Assaulting Her In Reno

Heidi Thomas said Cosby gave her a drink and "forced himself in my mouth" in 1984.

Heidi Thomas, a former model, told CNN that Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in a house in Reno, Nevada, in 1984.

Thomas said she was introduced to Cosby by a modeling agency when she was a 24-year-old aspiring actress in Denver.

Thomas, who is now in her fifties, said an agent from JF Images — the agency which represented her — told her that Cosby was looking for young talent to mentor.

According to Thomas' account, her agent told her that Cosby would most likely coach her in his suite at the Harrah's Hotel and Casino where he was performing.

But she said she was driven from the Reno airport to a house outside the city which Cosby used to get away from the paparazzi.

After performing a monologue for the comedian, Thomas said Cosby told her to play the role of an intoxicated person, but was not impressed with her act.

She said he told her, "How are you ever going play an intoxicated person ... if you've never been drunk?"

Cosby then gave her a glass of Chablis, Thomas said, after which her memory is "foggy."

From CNN:

Thomas says that when she woke up, Cosby was next to her in bed, naked and "forcing himself in my mouth." She says she remembers feeling like she wanted to throw up.

Soon after, Thomas says, Cosby was getting on top of her again and referring to himself in the third person.

"I'm your friend ... your friend is gonna (ejaculate) again," Thomas remembers him saying.

Rather than get angry with Cosby, Thomas says, she made excuses and asked herself, "What's happened? Why am I here? Why is he naked? What did I say? What did I do?"

Thomas said she remembers storming out of the room and later apologizing for being rude. She said she rode with Cosby to his show, and a few months later traveled to St. Louis to meet Cosby backstage after another show.

Thomas said she wanted to know if he thought she had talent. "[The] closest thing I can say here is I just wanted to make this right ... I'm still not thinking I've been abused. I'm thinking this is all my fault," Thomas told CNN.

Thomas, who now teaches piano to children, said she decided to come forward after 30 years because she recently found out that her mother knew all along that something bad had happened to her.

She also said that keeping silent on the alleged assault would not support the women who were coming forward to tell their own stories.

More than 20 women have shared similar stories of how the comedian allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted them.

"I was beginning to think though...that whole keeping-your-silence-is-a-form-of acceptance — it's not supporting the women who are coming forward. It's not helping ... and if enough people make enough of a fuss, maybe we can get a culture that starts to listen," Thomas told CNN.

Skip to footer