# Bill Cosby, Coca-Cola and false advertising **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 8, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729 "2009-08-08T07:19:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/1 "2009-08-08T07:19:24Z")
I was going to post in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=527224) but I wanted to produce a cite first. Thing is, I can’t find a cite, so I’m starting a new thread rather than hijack the other. Does anyone else remember Bill Cosby having to retract false statements he made in a TV commercial for Coca-Cola? I’m sure it was Bill Cosby. I’m almost positive it was Coca-Cola and not one of his other endorsements. I’m certain this was not about New Coke, because this incident would have been in 1980, '81 or '82, and New Coke happened in 1985. So I’m just idly wondering what those statements were. My search turned up a few references to Cosby’s New Coke ads, which somewhat contradicted his earlier spots – New Coke was allegedly awesome because it was sweet, whereas Old Coke was supposed to be better than Pepsi because Pepsi was **too** sweet. But what I’m thinking of seemed to have been a blatant lie, not just waffling on opinion. Like saying “Coke doesn’t have saccharine” when it did. I can just barely envision the ad, with Cosby stating unequivocally, “I said such-and-such and it wasn’t true; here’s the truth.” You see? I don’t doubt that my memory is grounded, but I didn’t want to put these vague mutterings in the other thread. So does this ring a bell for anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/2 "2009-08-08T08:05:03Z")
I remember that! I remember he said, “Diggle blop doodle bop,” when the truth was actually “ **Beedle** bop doodle **blop**.” ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/3 "2009-08-08T08:33:57Z")
Not related to Bill Cosby, but late last year Coke ran some advertising here in Australia using a famous spokesperson, Kerry Armstrong, on the theme of [Motherhood & Myth-Busting](http://www.parentsjury.org.au/downloads/Coca_Cola_Kerry_Armstrong_Oct_2008.pdf), which they were later [forced to retract](http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/867233)in published ads. So entirely possible this could have been the case years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/4 "2009-08-08T09:35:34Z")
Cosby said his brother Russell told the monster under the bed liked Coke. But it was a lie! The monster liked Mr. Pibb. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/5 "2009-08-09T16:18:45Z")
Since this one has a factual answer, I’m sending it to GQ. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/6 "2009-08-09T16:51:40Z")
You mean he _didn’t_ want to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony? StG ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/7 "2009-08-09T17:16:32Z")
A search of ProQuest’s Historical Newspaper Databases didn’t reveal anything like the OP’s scenario. While there were quite a few articles related to Cosby and Coca-Cola, none dealt with an issue of false statements or retractions. I found a short _Wall Street Journal_ (September 7, 1983) noting that Cosby had bought a stake in the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of New York. There were a few articles from 1984 discussing how the Seven-Up Co. and the Coca-Cola Co. were in dispute over whether 7-Up or Diet Coke was the third best selling soft drink in America. (e.g., _Washington Post_, March 8, 1984; _New York Times_, March 8, 1984; _Los Angeles Times_, March 8, 1984) There were also a couple of articles about the New Coke, which made clear that Cosby was still involved in advertising Coca-Cola when the new formula was introduced in 1985. One article (_Los Angeles Times_, June 27, 1985) had this quote: > [@](#): > > One measure of the depth of the dissent is that even Coca-Cola’s new television commercials which feature comedian Bill Cosby extolling the virtues of the new Coke, have been drawing fire. “I don’t see how Bill Cosby can get up and tell all those lies,” groused an old Coke fan in Columbus, Ohio. “I’ll never believe another word he says.” Another piece (_Los Angeles Times_, July 30, 1985)notes that, with old Coke losing market share to Pepsi: > [@](#): > > After several largely ineffectual counters, including comedian Bill Cosby’s ridiculing of Pepsi’s taste as too sweet, Coke announced on April 23 a new formula—sweeter (that is, more like Pepsi). That’s not all the articles, but it’s all the stories that seemed even vaguely relevant. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/8 "2009-08-09T17:21:35Z")
I also tried other searches using Cosby’s name and words like: false retract advertisement commercial and got no hits. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/9 "2009-08-10T04:40:18Z")
Huh. Maybe it was Kodak. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/10 "2009-08-11T16:45:25Z")
All I know is that when I stuck that jello pudding pop into my camera, the pictures looked like crap. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/11 "2009-08-11T19:39:19Z")
I don’t remember any controversy about Cosby and any soft drink. ---
**Author:** ![whitemale41](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/da6949/32.png) [@whitemale41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitemale41)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/12 "2015-05-15T18:59:57Z")
I believe what happened is Bill Cosby got mad when Coke went back to its original formula and stated they made him look like a liar. He quit advertising for and cut ties with the Coca cola company. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/13 "2015-05-15T19:05:35Z")
I don’t recall any factual statements that Cosby had to retract. What I do recall is that Cosby did numerous ads for the “new” Coke in which he told everyone how much better the new Coke tasted. A lot of consumers disagreed, and demanded the return of the “old” Coke. And many of those people resented Cosby for telling them how good the new flavor was. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/14 "2015-05-15T19:45:52Z")
Well, it does explain why Cos was eventually replaced with Max Headroom… ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/15 "2015-05-15T21:58:26Z")
I think it was the one where he said “You’ll love the New Coke, and I’m not a rapist.” Not really. I just wanted to make fun of his recent problems, and this was all I could come up with. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/16 "2015-05-15T23:20:25Z")
Citations on Cosby’s misadventures with New Coke: > **[Cracked.com - America's Only Humor Site | Cracked.com](https://www.cracked.com)** > > A funny website filled with funny videos, pics, articles, and a whole bunch of other funny stuff. Cracked.com, celebrating 50 years of humor. > **[New Coke: The drink test audiences loved and America hated](https://www.avclub.com/new-coke-the-drink-test-audiences-loved-and-america-ha-1798268268)** > > This week’s entry: This column takes its name from Wikipedia’s unique ability to hold your attention through link after link after link, until you’ve reached a destination with seemingly no connection to your starting point. In that spirit, Wiki... Apparently Cosby had called Pepsi “Too sweet” in earlier Coke ads. Then he pushed the new formula. A third 180 degree turn would have been too much, so Cosby and the Coca-Cola company parted ways. Bill Cosby was the only person who left the company following the snafu, largely because it didn’t cost the soda giant any money: the publicity helped them. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/17 "2015-05-18T15:37:33Z")
> [@whitemale41](#): > > I believe what happened is Bill Cosby got mad when Coke went back to its original formula and stated they made him look like a liar. He quit advertising for and cut ties with the Coca cola company. This was on No Such Thing As A Fish just a week ago. This is pretty much right. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/18 "2015-05-18T17:32:08Z")
> [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](#): > > I remember that! > I remember he said, “Diggle blop doodle bop,” > > when the truth was actually “ **Beedle** bop doodle **blop**.” Heh heh heh…kids. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/19 "2015-05-19T01:52:32Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > This was on No Such Thing As A Fish just a week ago. This is pretty much right. It was also mentioned on _Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me_ last week, or maybe the week before. Leading to Peter Sagal’s joke: “I believe what Cosby said to the Coke people was, I can’t imagine anything that would be more damaging to my reputation!” ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729/20 "2015-05-19T14:04:15Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > It was also mentioned on _Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me_ last week, or maybe the week before. Leading to Peter Sagal’s joke: “I believe what Cosby said to the Coke people was, I can’t imagine anything that would be more damaging to my reputation!” You know what? I think this is what I was thinking of. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-coca-cola-and-false-advertising/505729.md?page=2)