Bill Cosby grins in new prison photo

The 83-year-old Cosby is two years into a three- to 10-year prison term (Matt Rourke/AP)

A newly released prison photo shows Bill Cosby smiling with a disposable mask hanging off his face.

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections recently updated Cosby’s custody image, something routinely done to document changes to inmates’ appearance as they age. Cosby’s new photo was taken on September 4.

Later in the evening, a blurry picture was tweeted from Cosby’s verified account showing him using what appeared to be a prison telephone and pulling a mask away from his chin as he smiled.

The caption said: “This photo was taken by his publicist, Andrew Wyatt, during his first virtual video conference call with Mr. Cosby last week. We are posting this to reassure his family and supporters that he is doing OK during this pandemic.”

Cosby, 83, was convicted of felony sex assault and is serving a three- to 10-year prison term.

An appeals court had upheld his conviction, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed this year to review two key issues in the case, with the appeal scheduled to be heard on December 1.

Cosby, a once-beloved comedian long known as “America’s Dad”, became the first celebrity convicted of sexual misconduct in the MeToo era when he was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home near Philadelphia in 2004.