Bill Cosby Thanks Atlanta Actress Keshia Knight Pulliam For Trial Support

ATLANTA, GA -- On the first day of his trial for allegedly drugging and sexually abusing women, Bill Cosby showed up outside a Pennsylvania courthouse Monday morning with Atlanta actress Keshia Knight Pulliam. The Atlanta actress played his daughter Rudy on "The Cosby Show" in the 1980s and '90s.

Support for Cosby, especially among prominent women, has lagged since dozens of women came out to accuse the once-venerable TV father figure of molesting them over a period of several years. SIGN UP: To get notified of more local news like this, click here to sign up for the Atlanta Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

Cosby tweeted Monday afternoon, thanking Pulliam for coming with him to the trial. "Thank you to Cliff and Claire's 4 year old daughter (Rudy) and the Brilliant Spelman Alumnus #KeshiaKnightPulliam" he posted. He also added the hashtag #CameToCourtToHearTheTruth.

Cosby maintains that he is innocent of the charges and remains free on $1 million bail.

Read more: 5 things to know about Bill Cosby's trial

Pulliam's appearance by Cosby's side is in contrast to many of the other former "Cosby kids" from the show. Lisa Bonet, who played Lisa, has not commented publicly on the case; while Malcolm Jamal Warner, who played Theo on the show, has indicated that he would take a wait-and-see attitude about the case. Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa) and Sabrina La Beauf (Sondra) have been mum on the case.

In July 2015, his TV wife Phylicia Rashad caused a firestorm when she said, in comments that she would later clarify, "forget these women," adding that “What you’re seeing is the destruction of a legacy. And I think it’s orchestrated.”

Cosby's trial, which is being held in Montgomery County, has already been touched by controversy. With just one African-American on the jury, his lawyers complained two weeks ago that prosecutors were systematically trying to keep blacks out of the jury pool. The jury is now made of 10 white people and two black people.

Image via Mark Makela / Stringer/ Getty Images News