Bill Cosby references #MeToo movement after meal in Philadelphia

FILE- This file photo from Aug. 22, 2017 shows Bill Cosby as he leaves a pretrial hearing in his sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. The entertainer stood trial in a suburban Philadelphia courtroom, accused of drugging and molesting a woman at his home in 2004. The courtroom drama was one of the biggest Pennsylvania stories of 2017.Matt Rourke / AP

PHILADELPHIA — Bill Cosby referenced the #MeToo movement after a dinner at an Italian restaurant in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the 80-year-old comedian was dining with an old friend and his publicist, and some members of the media were invited to document the event.

The news site says he shook a reporter’s hand and said “Please don’t put me on #MeToo,” the social media movement denouncing sexual assault. He told her, “I just shook your hand like a man.”

When asked about his April retrial on charges he drugged and molested a woman in 2004, he replied, “We’re ready.”

Cosby’s new trial was supposed to begin in November but was delayed until this spring so his new legal team could get up to speed.

Jurors deadlocked in June and the judge declared a mistrial. He has said his sexual encounter was consensual.

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