Bill Cosby breaks silence over The Cosby Show co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner's death
Bill Cosby is responding to the devastating news of Malcolm-Jamal Warner's shocking death, revealing it brought back painful memories of when his own son was murdered.
Malcolm-Jamal's sudden death from accidental drowning during a family holiday in Costa Rica was confirmed on Monday, July 21.
Bill's representative, Andrew Wyatt, revealed to TMZ that when Bill received the call about Malcolm-Jamal's passing, it instantly reminded him of the moment he was told his son Ennis Cosby had been fatally shot during a botched robbery whilst he was in the studio filming The Cosby Show in January 1997 and in 2018 Bill also lost his daughter Esna at the age of 44.
Andrew explained that Malcolm-Jamal's death had an identical impact on Bill as his son's murder.
He also explained how the Resident star used to play with Ennis during their childhood and "were amazing together.", reports the Mirror US.
Father and son
Bill and Malcolm-Jamal collaborated on The Cosby Show as father and son.
The publication reported they were informed that during Bill's final conversation with Malcolm-Jamal, the late 54 year old was thrilled about a major concert in Minneapolis and "felt like he was changing the world."
Andrew revealed that Bill is reminiscing about the time Malcolm-Jamal visited the Cosby family's estate in Massachusetts and how he had Bill's relatives in stitches during his visit. According to Bill's representative, the Little Bill star believes that Malcolm-Jamal has made a profound impact on his life and acting career that will continue to shape the world.
It's reported that Bill said every young man who grew up in the projects back then aspired to be like Malcolm-Jamal and have a family like the Huxtables.
What is The Cosby Show?
The Cosby Show depicted the lives of the Huxtables, an upper middle-class Black American family living in Brooklyn, New York. The fictional family's father and mother were portrayed by Bill (as Cliff Huxtable) and Phylicia Rashad (as Clair Huxtable), respectively.
Malcolm-Jamal played one of the five children and the only boy, Theo Huxtable, on the renowned sitcom which aired for eight seasons from 1984 to 1992.
Bill and Malcolm-Jamal shared a complicated relationship, particularly in the wake of the 88 year old's sexual assault allegations and conviction. In 2015, numerous accusations alleging Bill of sexual assault from a significant number of women became public.
Did Bill Cosby do anything wrong?
The shamed comedian was found guilty in 2018 on three counts of aggravated indecent assault and was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. However, in 2021, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court overturned the conviction, leading to Bill's release from jail.
Over the years, Malcolm-Jamal has shared his mixed feelings about the accusations levelled against Bill and his subsequent conviction. In 2015, when the allegations against Bill became public, he described the situation as "painful".
"He's one of my mentors, and he's been very influential and played a big role in my life as a friend and mentor," Malcolm-Jamal confessed to Billboard shortly after. "Just as it's painful to hear any woman talk about sexual assault, whether true or not, it's just as painful to watch my friend and mentor go through this."
He continued, "I can't really speak on any of the allegations because obviously, I was not there.
"The Bill Cosby I know has been great to me and great for a lot of people...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. I can't speak on the other stuff."
Final word
His most recent public interview addressing the allegation was in 2023 with journalist Jemele Hill.
When asked if he felt "resentful" that Bill's situation had affected the lives of The Cosby Show cast and the show's reputation, he responded: "No. Not resentment ... I get how this business works, for one.
"And just that whole situation is so layered, man," he replied.
"I can't defend him or his actions at all. But I also can't throw him under the bus completely," Malcolm-Warner went on to say. "Because I have an understanding of all the layers.
"It's so complex and it's so many shades of gray, that most people will never get. There is the piece of the financial hit that we all took but also it hasn't really affected my career."
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