Twitter reacts to Bill Cosby's comments on race in sexual assault allegations

— -- Twitter lit up today after Bill Cosby suggested in a new interview that racism may be partly responsible for the dozens of sexual misconduct allegations that have been lodged against him.

The embattled comedian was a trending topic after he gave his first interview in two years about the alleged sexual assault scandal. He broke his silence in a 30-minute interview with Sirius XM radio host Michael Smerconish that aired this morning, just ahead of the trial next month when he will face one of his accusers.

Cosby, 79, has been charged with three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault stemming from an alleged encounter with accuser Andrea Constand in 2004. He has pleaded not guilty. Jury selection in his trial is set to begin next week. He told Smerconish that he will not take the stand.

But it was his response to his daughter Ensa saying that "racism has played a big role in all aspects of this scandal" that racked up Twitter responses.

Asked if he agreed with Ensa's analysis, Cosby told Smerconish: "Could be. Could be. I can't say anything, but there are certain things that I look at and I apply to the situation and there are so many tentacles. So many different -- 'nefarious' is a great word. I just truly believe that some of it may very well be that."

Some on Twitter agreed with Cosby that race may have played a part, but many accused the legendary comedian of playing the "race card," saying Cosby's comments were hypocritical. Some mocked the comments.

Here are a few of the responses on Twitter: