Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for starring as Theo Huxtable across eight seasons of “The Cosby Show,” has died. He was 54.
The television actor drowned while swimming during a family vacation in Costa Rica, per multiple reports. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
Warner continued to work in television after “The Cosby Show” ended, starring on the sitcoms “Malcom and Eddie” for four seasons and “Reed Between The Lines” for two. However, he’s best remembered as the eldest son of Bill Cosby‘s Dr. CliffHuxtable. Warner had been open about his complicated feelings about the series after Cosby was accused of sexual misconduct by over 50 women.
Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in Pennsylvania in 2018, though the state Supreme Court eventually overturned those charges. Warner did not hide the fact that he was upset about the stain placed on his life’s work, but admitted he found it difficult to reconcile the allegations against Cosby with the man who acted as his mentor.
“The Bill Cosby I know has been great to me and great for a lot of people,” Warner said in a 2015 interview with Billboard. “What he’s done for comedy and television has been legendary and history-making. What he’s done for the Black community and education has been invaluable. That’s the Bill Cosby I know.”
In a separate interview with People, Warner said that the impact of “The Cosby Show” can’t be wiped away by the actions of Cosby and that he’s still proud of the work he did on the sitcom.
“Regardless of how some people may feel about the show now, I’m still proud of the legacy and having been a part of such an iconic show that had such a profound impact on — first and foremost, Black culture — but also American culture,” Warner said.
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