'Bill Clinton' Released From Prison': BBC Reporter Mistakes Bill Cosby for Former US President

Memes related to former US President Bill Clinton flooded social media after a BBC Journalist mistakenly referred to Bill Cosby as Bill Clinton. The on-air gaffe happened when Michelle Fleury was reporting live on the disgraced comedian's release from the prison on Wednesday.

Cosby was sentenced in 2018 to 3 to 10 years in a state prison for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home in 2004. However, on Wednesday he was released from a Pennsylvania prison after his sexual assault conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania's Supreme Court.

BBC Reporter Mistakes Bill Cosby for Bill Clinton

BBC reporter Fleury, who generally covers business and economics, was reporting about Cosby's release from outside from SCI Phoenix state prison. "For the last two years this is where Bill Clinton has called home. But tonight he will sleep in his own bed after the bombshell decision by Pennsylvania's Supreme Court to overturn his conviction for sexual assault on the grounds that his 5th Amendment right - that is the right against self-incrimination - were violated."

Even as Fleury didn't appear to realize her on-air gaffe mistaking the identity, BBC anchor Huw Edwards immediately corrected by saying, "Just to clarify what was said there in Michelle's introduction to the story when she mistakenly said Bill Clinton instead of Bill Cosby, we apologize for the mistake. The story is of course about Bill Cosby the entertainer."

CNN reported that a panel of Pennsylvania State Supreme Court judges said in their opinion that a former Montgomery County district attorney's decision to not prosecute Cosby in 2005 in return for his deposition in a civil case was ultimately used against him at trial. "In light of these circumstances, the subsequent decision by successor D.A.s to prosecute Cosby violated Cosby's due process rights," the judges wrote.

Fleury's Gaffe Triggers Bill Clinton Memes

The correction issued by the BBC anchor later, did not stop netizens from poking fun at the former US President who too was linked with multiple sex scandals in the past. "BBC reporter calls Bill Cosby Bill Clinton by mistake. Hopefully a legal Bill won't follow," wrote a Twitter user.

"The BBC just released 'Bill Clinton' from prison Face with tears of joy," wrote a user as another added, "Very rarely watch BBC News but the presenter having to apologize for the reporter saying Bill Clinton rather than Crosby makes me think I probably should watch it more."

"The BBC mixing up Bill Clinton and Bill Cosby on the evening news bulletin is quite the mood," read another tweet.