Bill Cosby Reacts To Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Death
Warner, who famously started playing Theodore Huxtable on the '80s sitcom The Cosby Show when he was just 14, unexpectedly drowned off the coast of Costa Rica while on vacation with his family. He was reportedly caught by a high current in the water, and according to police, his official cause of death was asphyxia.
As celebrity tributes for Warner pour in, his onscreen dad, Bill Cosby, commented on the heartbreaking news.
Discussing Warner's death during a chat with CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan, Cosby said of his onscreen son, 'He was never afraid to go to his room and study. He knew his lines and that he was quite comfortable even with the growing pains of being a teenager.'
When asked about the last time that he spoke with Warner, Cosby said it was 'three months ago,' before later noting that he had been in touch with his onscreen wife Phylicia Rashad — who played Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show — about Warner's death. 'We were embracing each other over the phone about a dearly beloved friend,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
22 minutes ago
- New York Post
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was swimming with his 8-year-old daughter when he fatally drowned
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was not alone when he drowned in Costa Rica at the age of 54 on Sunday. According to ABC News, 'The Cosby Show' alum was swimming with his 8-year-old daughter at the time. According to police officials, surfers saw Warner and his daughter struggling in the water. A surfer dove in and brought the child back to safety on his board. Advertisement 10 Malcolm-Jamal Warner. FOX Image Collection via Getty Images A volunteer lifeguard then pulled Warner and a second surfer back to shore, where the 'Malcolm and Eddie' star was given CPR for 45 minutes, per the report. On Monday, Costa Rican National Police confirmed to The Post that bystanders had pulled Warner from the water and taken him to shore. Advertisement The Costa Rica Red Cross made revival efforts, but the attempts were unsuccessful. Warner's body was transported to the morgue at San Joaquin de Flores for an autopsy. His cause of death is listed as asphyxiation by 'submersion.' On Wednesday, TMZ reported that Warner's body has been released to the family. He will be flown back to Los Angeles. Advertisement 10 Malcolm-Jamal Warner holds his daughter's hand in an Instagram pic. malcolmjamalwar/Instagram Sources told the outlet that the sitcom star's body will leave Costa Rica on Thursday and arrive in Los Angeles on Friday morning. According to the insiders, the U.S. Embassy is working alongside Warner's family to return his body to the United States. Another source revealed to TMZ that Warner was in Costa Rica with his daughter for a home-schooling program. His wife was allegedly not in the country at the time of his death and learned about the tragedy over the phone. Advertisement 10 Malcolm-Jamal Warner's daughter riding a horse. malcolmjamalwar/Instagram 10 An image of Malcolm-Jamal Warner's daughter visiting the horse stables. malcolmjamalwar/Instagram After the Emmy nominee's accidental drowning, Playa Grande lifeguards claim they were 'not present' on the beach when the incident occurred due to lack of 'resources.' 'We deeply regret the passing of Malcolm-Jamal Warner at Playa Grande. He was swept away by a strong rip current and died by drowning,' Costa Rica's volunteer lifeguard association, Caribbean Guard, stated on Monday via Facebook. 'It all happened very quickly, and although there were people on the beach who entered the water to rescue him, they did not arrive in time. He was pulled from underwater without vital signs, and despite CPR maneuvers being performed on the beach, resuscitation was unsuccessful,' the message continued. 10 Malcolm-Jamal Warner and his daughter at their home. malcolmjamalwar/Instagram The Guard went on to explain how Playa Grande is well known by 'local surfers' but is one of their 'most challenging beaches.' The statement added that there are signs placed along the beach in both Spanish and English 'warning of the danger of death due to drowning.' The Guard shared they had patrolled there 'over the past few years,' but not at the time of Warner's death. Advertisement 'Due to recent aquatic incidents in Playa Negra, we had redirected resources there and to Chiquita, another iconic beach known for its strong currents,' the statement noted. 10 Malcolm-Jamal Warner plays with his toddler daughter. The social media post included a message addressed to Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves Robles and the government. 'From Caribbean Guard, a volunteer lifeguard association, we make an urgent appeal to the President of the Nation, the national government, the Municipality of Talamanca, and the entire Caribbean community to continue joining forces to minimize this problem, which, sadly, is on the rise ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.' Advertisement 'We do everything within our reach,' concluded the statement. 'We have saved numerous lives in recent years, and if Caribbean Guard didn't exist, the number of drownings would be counted in dozens. We give everything we have to minimize the risks, but without help from the government, clear public policies, and strong support from local business owners, this will continue to happen.' 10 Malcolm-Jamal Warner holds his daughter as a baby. malcolmjamalwar/Instagram Warner first rose to fame playing Theodore 'Theo' Huxtable, the son of Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable, in 'The Cosby Show.' The sitcom ran on NBC for eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. Warner garnered a 1986 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Advertisement In 2021, the late star spoke with The Post about the legacy of the series after Cosby's sexual assault conviction before it was overturned. 10 'The Cosby Show' cast. NBCUniversal via Getty Images 'I can understand why some people can't watch the show and enjoy it because of everything that's going on now,' Warner said. 'But I think … there's a generation of young people who have pursued higher education or have started loving families because of the influence of that show.' 'So it's kind of like, you can't discount its impact on television culture and American culture,' he added. Cosby addressed Warner's death, revealing it felt like losing his own son, who was murdered in 1997. Advertisement 'While I was their TV dad, I never stopped being a father to them,' he told The Post through his rep. Prior to his death, Warner had relocated from Hollywood to Atlanta, Georgia, during his multi-season run on the Fox show 'The Resident' from 2018 to 2023. 10 Malcolm-Jamal Warner at the Recording Academy Honors. 'I think he decided to come to Atlanta just because it felt a bit more grounded. It felt more like a home to him,' Dashiell Smith, one of the actor's best friends and bandmates, told The Post on Wednesday. After purchasing a $1.3 million, five-bedroom house in the suburb of Decatur, Warner told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2023 that, 'Music and my wife and daughter keep me from losing my s–t.'
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Skydance tells FCC it will scrap DEI, appoint media bias official at CBS News
Skydance has made fresh promises to the Federal Communications Commission as it looks to fast-track its merger with Paramount – including a pledge to scrap DEI policies at CBS News and appoint an ombudsman to root out media bias at the network. The Hollywood studio behind blockbusters including 'Mission: Impossible' said in letters to the FCC that it will conduct a 'comprehensive review' of CBS after the merger goes through to ensure the network is operating in the public interest. It will then put in place an ombudsman for at least two years that will report directly to the president of CBS News with 'any complaints of bias or other concerns,' according to copies of the letters earlier reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Advertisement FCC Chairman Brendan Carr speaking at a congressional hearing. Michael Brochstein/ZUMA / Skydance – which, 'for its part, does not have DEI programs in place today and will not establish such initiatives' – also vowed to eliminate diversity programs at CBS News. The letters, which were sent Tuesday, came as President Trump said he expects to receive an additional $20 million from Skydance in advertising and public service announcements once it takes control of Paramount, confirming an exclusive report by The Post. Advertisement These public service ads will be tied to Trump-backed conservative causes, according to The Post's Charles Gasparino. That's on top of a $16 million settlement from CBS News over a lawsuit concerning a controversially-edited '60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris. Skydance did not immediately respond to requests seeking confirmation of this figure. Advertisement 'The company is committed to ensuring that its storytelling reflects the many audiences and communities it serves in a manner that complies with non-discrimination requirements and other applicable laws,' Skydance's general counsel wrote in the letter. That change will affect CBS' hiring, promotion, compensation and public messaging practices, as well as its supplier and vendor diversity goals. It will also scrap the office of global inclusion. Skydance is currently seeking FCC approval for the transfer of CBS broadcast licenses, an integral part of the acquisition process, which has been in limbo for about a year. David Ellison, founder and CEO of Skydance Media. WireImage Advertisement FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and CBS News did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. There had been concerns that Trump's lawsuit against CBS News over the '60 Minutes' scandal could stall the deal's review. In the letters, Skydance cited the Trump administration's recent executive orders on DEI and the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling overturning affirmative action as its basis for eliminating diversity policies. Earlier this year, after launching a probe into Comcast's DEI policies, Carr warned that all media companies regulated by the FCC should erase such programs. 'Every single business that's regulated by the FCC … I trust that they have now got the message that the time to end their invidious forms of DEI discrimination is now,' Carr told The Post at the time.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Malcolm-Jamal Warner's shocking death raises new swimming safety fears — here's how experts say to avoid drowning in a rip current
The accidental death of 'The Cosby Show' actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has saddened the world — and raised new fears over swimming safety. The beloved TV legend's passing comes amid a record number of drownings on NYC's beaches, where the same type of rip current that claimed Warner in Costa Rica can threaten swimmers just as quickly. However, according to local water education non-profit Rising Tide Effect, a whopping 95% of all such fatalities are preventable — given the proper instruction. 4 New Yorkers enjoy the water at Coney Island — where rip currents can threaten at any time, experts say. Getty Images In the event you're caught in a rip current, the best thing to do is stay calm, swim parallel to the shore out of the current, and wait for rescue or approach the shore, the experts warn. Rip currents do not pull swimmers under — they just draw people out further from the sand, they said. Exerting too much energy kicking or swimming against the current can, in many cases, be fatal. A similar fate to Warner's befell MLB prospect-turned cop Chase Childers while vacationing with his family on Pawleys Island, S.C., earlier this month. The trouble began when a woman asked the dad of three to help save her brood of five, all caught in a current. After heroically saving the swimmers with the help of another nearby man, Childers disappeared into the water — until his body was recovered 90 minutes later by first responders. Authorities suspect that the ballplayer's admirable rescue efforts left him without the strength to make it back to shore. Drownings only take up to a minute to occur, so swimming close to a lifeguard when possible can often be the difference between life and death. In Warner's case, there was no lifeguard present at the time of his death, but signs advising the presence of potential rip currents were reportedly posted on the beach. 4 Chase Childers, 38, drowned just weeks ago during a beach vacation with his family in South Carolina. GoFundMe 4 Warner passed away at age 54 on July 20 during a trip to Costa Rica. Getty Images The actor was enjoying a family vacation in Playa Grande, and was reportedly swept out into a high current between 2 and 2:30 p.m. local time. Of the incident, Costa Rican National Police previously told The Post that he was pulled to the shore by nearby beachgoers, allowing the Costa Rica Red Cross to attempt resuscitation. Per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), rip currents are especially common at low tide, so be sure to keep an eye on the water, and practice advanced caution by checking beach conditions and wave forecast before arriving. 4 Prevention is as important as protection when it comes to rip currents, Krause says. Getty Images Last year, NYC saw a record seven drownings, and six of them occurred while a lifeguard was not on duty. Per city data, only 34% of NYC residents live within a 15-minute transit ride to a NYC swimming facility, whether it be beach or pool, meaning a majority of New Yorkers make a trek to swim — and many go without swimming lessons or regular experience in water at all, leaving them at a higher risk. In the wake of increased drownings, more shark sightings, and rising temperatures, inexperienced New York swimmers looking to beat the heat this summer are advised to stick close to the shore, build up their confidence and skills with swimming lessons or opt for pools, officials and experts warn.
