AMNA NAWAZ: D.L.

Hughley is one of comedy's most enduring stars.

His new memoir, "Charlie's Boy," is a candid look at fatherhood, family trauma, and the path he took from South Central L.A.

to some of the biggest stages on the planet.

For our podcast "Settle In," Geoff Bennett spoke with him about all of that and more, including his heated confrontation with Bill Cosby years ago.

GEOFF BENNETT: You described this extraordinary confrontation with Bill Cosby on your radio show.

D.L.

HUGHLEY, Author, "Charlie's Boy": Right.

GEOFF BENNETT: And this was before the Hannibal Buress situation that unearthed all the accusations and then basically saw the spiral of Bill Cosby, the public spiral of him.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: Right.

Right.

GEOFF BENNETT: And he was criticizing your comedy and criticizing your use of the N-word.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: Right.

GEOFF BENNETT: And you fired back by bringing up the allegations against him.

Take me back to that moment.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: So he -- I had worked at a station in New York, and Bill had come in because he was doing a show in Pennsylvania.

And so he was coming on to do press for it.

And I was -- my co-stars were Jacque Reid and Steve Wilson.

And when Bill -- I was like, I'm not going doing this interview because it's going to go left if I get on.

But he was being so dismissive to them that I finally got on and go: "Mr.

Cosby, what is it you would like for us to know?"

And he said: "Who is this?"

And I said, "D.L.

Hughley."

"D.L.

Hughley, Well, you say (EXPLETIVE DELETED) all the time, and you go back where you say this."

I said: "No offense, Mr.

Cosby, I say (EXPLETIVE DELETED) but I never had a coed wake up with their panties on backwards."

(LAUGHTER) D.L.

HUGHLEY: And that was -- and so, I'm old enough to be your father, but you're not.

I had always thought that he was very dismissive and disrespectful.

I also recognize that, without his input, I don't think we have an Obama.

I don't think we have Black women who are the most educated segment of our society.

I think he was profane and profound.

I think he did a lot of things.

But I think he also was -- has been very dismissive to people that didn't do comedy his way.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: And in his communications, he says: "Well, this will never air."

And I like "The (EXPLETIVE DELETED) it won't."

Five minutes later, they came down, took that tape.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: And it never aired.

GEOFF BENNETT: So he says this will never air, and then you say, this is my show.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: Yes.

GEOFF BENNETT: And then the -- it never aired.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: No.

And the people came.

The white people came down upstairs and went, no, this is our show.

And they took it and it never aired.

GEOFF BENNETT: Wow.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: It never aired.

And I -- and you know what's so funny?

People used to get mad when I told that -- when I told that story.

They would get mad at me all the time, because that's how good Black people need to feel.

That's how bad we need to feel good.

Cliff Huxtable was -- changed our lives, except Bill wasn't Cliff.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: You know, Cliff wouldn't drug nobody, but Bill would.

I would have coffee with Cliff Huxtable.

(LAUGHTER) D.L.

HUGHLEY: I would eat putting over Cliff's.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: But, Bill, nah, that's all right.

GEOFF BENNETT: And it was a it was an open secret back then, I would imagine... D.L.

HUGHLEY: It was... GEOFF BENNETT: ... among folks in the know.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: I remember at that time -- not even in the know.

There was an article in -- from that year where -- because -- and it talked about those allegations in "People" magazine, like, at the bottom.

When somebody puts something at the back of the magazine about somebody famous, they want to say they wrote it, but it didn't register.

So, yes, it was an open secret, I would say.

You're right.

GEOFF BENNETT: And Cosby represented, as you say, a certain kind of Black respectability, which... GEOFF BENNETT: And I can understand that, especially in his day.

GEOFF BENNETT: It meant something to be on stage in a suit every night.

D.L.

HUGHLEY: He changed television history.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes, with "I Spy" and -- long before "The Cosby Show."

D.L.

HUGHLEY: Even if you look at the fact that it was Thursday, they gave -- they gave him a throwaway night.

He made it "Must See TV."

He did that.

He changed the trajectory of Black people in this country.

They started going to school because of a different way.

It was a whole different thing he did.

But I don't think that that negates the fact that he's done some things that are not explainable.

AMNA NAWAZ: You can hear more of that conversation, including Hughley's story about a cutting insult from Chris Rock at the height of his sitcom success, on this week's episode of "Settle In" on our YouTube page or wherever you get your podcasts.