<!-- mobian-agent-page publisher="time" canonical="https://time.com/5102292/chris-matthews-bill-cosby-joke-apology-hillary-clinton/" -->

---
description: Chris Matthews has apologized for a joke he made about a &quot;Bill Cosby pill&quot; before interviewing Hillary Clinton in early 2016
title: Chris Matthews Apologizes for &#x27;Bill Cosby Pill&#x27; Joke
image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt609fd59bd924eb45/6988f56c096a948b416a0cf2/chris-matthews.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=3840&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
---

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt609fd59bd924eb45/6988f56c096a948b416a0cf2/chris-matthews.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)

* [Politics](/section/politics/)  
## Politics  

Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/)  
Close
* [Media](/tag/media/)  
## Media  

Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/)  
Close

# Chris Matthews Apologizes for 'Bill Cosby Pill' Joke Before Hillary Clinton Interview


![Alana Abramson](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt841db4fb6fb33ac8/698a1380656a3f7bb2bda9e7/alana-abramson-2020-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Alana Abramson](/author/alana-abramson/)


![Alana Abramson](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt841db4fb6fb33ac8/698a1380656a3f7bb2bda9e7/alana-abramson-2020-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Alana Abramson


Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/)

Close

Jan 13, 2018 5:01 PM CUT

![2017 Nantucket Film Festival - Day 3](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt609fd59bd924eb45/6988f56c096a948b416a0cf2/chris-matthews.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Talk show host Chris Matthews attends the Screenwriters Tribute during the 2017 Nantucket Film Festival - Day 3 on June 23, 2017 in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Talk show host Chris Matthews attends the Screenwriters Tribute during the 2017 Nantucket Film Festival - Day 3 on June 23, 2017 in Nantucket, Massachusetts.Theo Wargo—Getty Images for Nantucket Film Festival

![Alana Abramson](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt841db4fb6fb33ac8/698a1380656a3f7bb2bda9e7/alana-abramson-2020-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Alana Abramson](/author/alana-abramson/)


![Alana Abramson](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt841db4fb6fb33ac8/698a1380656a3f7bb2bda9e7/alana-abramson-2020-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Alana Abramson


Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/)

Close

Jan 13, 2018 5:01 PM CUT

Chris Matthews has issued an apology after a video surfaced in which the MSNBC anchor joked about a “Bill Cosby pill” before interviewing Hillary Clinton in early 2016.

“This was a terrible comment I made in poor taste during the height of the Bill Cosby headlines. I realize that’s no excuse. I deeply regret it and I’m sorry,” Matthews told New York Magazine’s _The Cut,_ who had obtained and published the video.

In the video, which _The Cut_ published on January 12, Matthews, while preparing for his interview with Clinton in January 2016, first asks about using waters presumably reserved for Clinton.

“Can I have some of the queen’s waters? precious waters?” he asks, before subsequently remarking, “where’s that Bill Cosby pill I brought with me?” and laughing at himself.

Multiple women have accused [Cosby of sexual assault](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/ "undefined"), which included allegations that he had drugged them. Cosby was brought to trial last year, but it ended in a mistrial. He is expected to be retried in April.

```json
[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5102292/chris-matthews-bill-cosby-joke-apology-hillary-clinton/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5102292/chris-matthews-bill-cosby-joke-apology-hillary-clinton/"},"headline":"Chris Matthews Apologizes for 'Bill Cosby Pill' Joke Before Hillary Clinton Interview","datePublished":"2018-01-13T17:01:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:52:19.319Z","description":"Chris Matthews has apologized for a joke he made about a \"Bill Cosby pill\" before interviewing Hillary Clinton in early 2016","url":"https://time.com/5102292/chris-matthews-bill-cosby-joke-apology-hillary-clinton/","keywords":["Media","Hillary Clinton","Bill Cosby topic","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt609fd59bd924eb45/6988f56c096a948b416a0cf2/chris-matthews.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alana Abramson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt609fd59bd924eb45/6988f56c096a948b416a0cf2/chris-matthews.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2017 Nantucket Film Festival - Day 3","caption":"2017 Nantucket Film Festival - Day 3","creditText":"Theo Wargo—Getty Images for Nantucket Film Festival","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/media/","name":"Media"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5102292/chris-matthews-bill-cosby-joke-apology-hillary-clinton/","name":"Chris Matthews Apologizes for 'Bill Cosby Pill' Joke Before Hillary Clinton Interview"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"CNBC Paid Chris Matthews Sexual Harassment Accuser, MSNBC Confirms","description":"An MSNBC spokesman has confirmed a report saying a news channel staffer had been paid and left the job after complaining she was sexually harassed by ‘Hardball’ host Chris Matthews nearly two decades ago.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/iUYny3td/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-12-17T21:45:47.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/iUYny3td.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5102292/chris-matthews-bill-cosby-joke-apology-hillary-clinton/","duration":"PT1M9S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5102292/chris-matthews-bill-cosby-joke-apology-hillary-clinton/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}]
```
