Depression is much more common than most people think. I’m not talking about the occasional bout with the blues. I’m referring to a deep sense of helplessness that lasts for weeks and months at a time. The swimming in...
Joseph’s Columns Archive
LAW SCHOOL AND GENERAL HOSPITAL
After proposing to Nicole, I decided to attend law school and I was hired to play Justus Ward on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. January–nine months after proposing to Nicole, I jumped on a plane and headed to...
MY MOTHER’S SUICIDE: THE BIRTH OF THE GRAY LADY
My friend needn’t have been worried. I was not about to go the route of my mother and commit suicide. I wasn’t prepared to leave the same legacy to my loved ones that she left to me. That is...
LIVING WITH DEPRESSION
Nicole had experienced my bouts with depression, but living with it was something entirely different. I wish I could say that Nicole and I have had a fairy-tale marriage. There are certainly elements of the fairy-tale love affair in...
IS IT A RISK OR A GAMBLE?
After laying claim to my future wife, I headed to Los Angeles for pilot season. In a few short weeks, I would once again be faced with the prospect of taking a gamble. Or was I taking a risk?...
THE REDHEAD AND ME
Sometime during the spring, while sitting alone in my new house in New Jersey, I began to realize that whatever future I was going to have, I wanted the redhead to share it with me. I didn’t know why....
WINTER IN NEW JERSEY
It was a long winter. I distracted myself from being ignored by the show by hunting down my new sports car. All my life, I had wanted a Corvette. I was determined that now, I would have one. Of...
VALENTINE’S DAY WITH THE GRAY LADY
I took possession of my new house on Valentine’s Day. I’ve always hated Valentine’s Day. As a single man, I always felt tremendous pressure, especially if I wasn’t seeing anyone. Seeing people coupled up was usually a prelude to...
LIFE AFTER THE COSBY SHOW
Life after the Cosby Show was defined by anxiety and frustration. I didn’t work for two years. And if you count the months following my last appearance on the show, it was two and a half years. I have...
IS HE GUILTY?
People used to ask me, “What was it like working on the Cosby Show?” Now, they ask me, “Is he guilty?” The question, of course, refers to a series of accusations that began to hit the public consciousness in...
BILL AND BEAUTIFUL WOMEN
I was disappointed that Bill never became my mentor. I have heard many stories of Bill’s generosity, of his taking time to offer advice and council. I wish I had one of those stories. However, it was interesting that...
BILL AND MY SENSE OF SMELL
I have a theory that most people’s B.S. detectors are accurate. I have come to the conclusion that there would be far less disappointment in the world if all of us trusted our noses around bullshit. I know for...
MY LAST CONVERSATION WITH BILL
I will never forget my last conversation with Bill; it was the last time I saw him. Over the years, I have thought about that brief interaction. I wish it had come sooner. I wish it had played out...
POLITICS ON THE SET
When I worked on The Cosby Show, I wasn’t politically active. However, I was opinionated and then as now, I had a very big mouth. Somehow, I avoided politics on the set…almost. One of the fun things about working...
