Kids Say the Darndest Things

by Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby is classically funny. Now, as the star of CBS-TV's "Bill Cosby's Kids Say the Darndest Things" he again has the perfect platform to bring out the best in all people through the hilariously honest, witty and touching statements of all kinds of children. Now, this sure-fire combination will take to the printed page in the must-have book of the season.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Comedy

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

William Henry Cosby Jr. is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy star, with his longest-running live-action role being that of Cliff Huxtable in the sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992). He also released several stand-up comedy albums and was a popular spokesperson in advertising for decades. Cosby was well known in the United States for his fatherly image and gained a reputation as "America's Dad". Since 2014, dozens of allegations of sexual assault have been made against him.
Cosby began his career as a stand-up comic at the Hungry I nightclub in San Francisco in 1961, and primarily performed observational comedy in a conversational style. He released numerous standup specials starting with Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right! (1963) and starred in the comedy film Bill Cosby: Himself (1983). Cosby still holds the record for winning the most Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album, with seven wins. His acting career began with a starring role in the NBC secret-agent show I Spy (1965–1968), which broke new ground for African Americans when he made history by winning three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the first black actor to do so.
Cosby made his film debut starring in Man and Boy (1971) followed by Hickey & Boggs (1972), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Let's Do It Again (1975), A Piece of the Action (1977), Leonard Part 6 (1987), and Ghost Dad (1990). He produced and starred in a series of television sitcoms such as The Bill Cosby Show (1969–1971), Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1985) and The Cosby Show (1984–1992) as well as its the spin-off A Different World (1987–1993), The Cosby Mysteries (1994–1995), and Cosby (1996–2000). He hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things (1998–2000). During his prolific career he advertised numerous products including the Jell-O ice pop treats Pudding Pop.
Over 60 women have accused Cosby of rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, child sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Those allegations gained traction 2014 after a set which made mention of them by fellow comedian Hannibal Buress went viral. Numerous allegations followed with Cosby maintaining his innocence and repeatedly denying the allegations made against him. Despite receiving numerous awards and honorary degrees, several of them were revoked following the allegations. Reruns of The Cosby Show and other programs featuring Cosby were pulled from syndication. In 2018, Cosby was convicted of aggravated sexual assault against Andrea Constand. He was imprisoned until the conviction was vacated in June 2021 by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania on the basis of Cosby's 5th Amendment and 14th Amendment due process rights having been violated. In 2022, Cosby was found civilly liable for having sexually assaulted Judy Huth when she was 16.

Reviews

[Namratha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect read to drive away the cobwebs of the mind. The innocence of the kids.....their charming take on life.....all nicely rounded off with Cosby’s trademark dry wit.

One particular gem that sums it all up:

Art Linkletter asked a girl of six, “Melissa, what would make a perfect husband for you?”

Melissa replied, “A man who could give me a lot of money and loves horses and let’s me have twenty-four kids.”

“And what do you want to be when you grow up?”
……………
……………
……………
……………

“A nun.” :)))

[Stay Fetters · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a child this show was pretty funny. Where the hell did these kids get these answers from?
This was another displeasing read of the weekend.
I will save you all the trouble of reading this book and list the two best things about it:
1. Nancy Reagan is the mother of Liza Minnelli
2. A girl wants to be an octopus when shes older, so she can spank boys with her testicles.
I just saved you a few hours of unnecessary reading.

[Achala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kids do say the darndest things, and it takes Cosby's dry wit to tie those things together in a form that can be read.. While a few of the gems(?) had me laughing out loud, most of them are okay, and after a while, repetitive. Not a bad read, though, since it took about three hours overall to finish.. Might be better to watch reruns of the show if you're interested in this sort of thing.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't think I'd be able to catch my breath, but there were only a couple anecdotes that really made me smile. Other than not rolling around on the floor, it was an easy and okay read. Offered some relaxing reading.

[Arwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many laugh out loud stories in this book that my husband and I read together. Cosby is all together funny, and Cosby and kids are almost too funny to handle. (Note: See that I read this in 2007 BEFORE all the Cosby accusations.)

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is great a really good involved father has wrote such a fun book about the crazness of parenthood.

[Peachy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vey funny & entertaining!!

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny, and I`ve read it WAY to many times; exactly why this book gets a 5 STAR from me!

[Asenath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for laughs. :)

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was cute, but what made the show so popular was the kids' expressions, which is impossible to capture in a book.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for a laugh, and it certainly made me laugh. I love my daughter and her words are much like the children in this book. Kids really do have a unique way of thinking.

[Stacy Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say even though he turned out to be a scum bag bill is still hilarious. I really got a kick outta reading this kids are hysterical. Must check this out if you haven't yet

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super funny!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always thought I should write down the hilarious things kids say. But this proves it's funnier in the moment than in writing.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need a book to relax with. This definitely fit the bill. I read it in two sittings in my backyard on sunny days.

Throughout the book Cosby relays interactions with kids he's had on the show. They're typically questions-funny response in structure, making them short. They talk about families, American history and religion.

At times the writing was difficult, with the author attempting to concisely tie the interaction with one child to the interaction with another. At these points, I had to put too much thought into what he was trying to say, rather than just enjoying the funny parts. In general, though, I enjoyed my time reading and had plenty of smiles in the process!

Thanks to Mom for this garage sale find!

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, much like the show it comes from, has too much filler and not enough quotes from actual kids. On each page, Bill Cosby (or his ghost writer) sets up the joke, you read a funny one-liner from a kid and then Cosby (or ghost writer) gives more commentary to fill space. I much prefer Cosby's stories about when he was a kid that you find in his book Childhood (from 1991). They had a lot more meat to them than this book has.

Takes less than an hour to read cover to cover and once is enough.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can guarantee that this material would have me busting a gut if I were watching it on TV, but it simply doesn't translate super well on paper. It helps to imagine him speaking out loud and telling his jokes in the way that he does on stage. That being said, my copy of the book is still full of stars next to the stories that tickled my funny bone. The short anecdotes and jokes make this book perfect for the bathroom. :)

[Vicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

As they say "out of the mouths of babes". This is a great book when you need some cheering up. Found myself laughing out loud a few times. I read this book several years ago. Now that I have grandchildren, it sparks my mind with some questions to inquire of them. I wonder how similar their answers will be to the kids of past generations? Then again, maybe I don't want to know. They come up with some pretty funny things on their own. I hope I'm as prepared as Bill and Art were.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw a lot of reviews saying that the face expressions of the kids and Bill made this book a little hard to read or a little hard to appreciate and I get that. It is true, but if you do decide to read this maybe check out a few audio cd's of Cosby and his early stand up. I happen to do that and it was a good refresher on truly how funny he is. That helps a lot and you get a picture of how good he is.

[Citrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lol we are so dumb as children it's delightful . I wish we could keep some of the fresh approaches they have . The give answers to questions they don't know the answers to , they mix imagination into logic . Refreshing :)

[Rebecca Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and Cute.

[HaleakalaBound · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, cute. Can't wait until my little pumpkin is talking!!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute when you need cheering up. Cosby's commentary is even funnier than what the kids say.

[Marci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good laughs that reminded me of when I watched the show. Some of the transitional narrative was humorous but I found much of it irksome. I do love Bill Cosby, though.

[Herb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but unless you are able to imagine The Coz actually telling it, the patter could get on your nerves.

[AnnaRae Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just kept telling the same thing over and over again.

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I took the time to read this one. I laughed through nearly the entire book.

[Nena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tv show was better.