Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Theo on The Cosby Show, Dead at 54
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for playing Theo on The Cosby Show, is dead at 54, per ABC News. He died by drowning off the coast of Costa Rica, the country’s National Police told ABC News. He leaves behind a wife and a daughter. Warner was best known for his role as Theodore Huxtable on The Cosby Show, which he played from 1984 to 1992. He earned an Emmy nomination in 1986. Theodore was the only Huxtable son; he was known for having a tough time in school, which, as explained in the episode “Theo’s Gift,” was due to his previously undiagnosed dyslexia. “I know I can speak for all the cast when I say The Cosby Show is something that we are all still very proud of,” Warner told People in 2023. His comments followed the overturning of Bill Cosby’s sexual-assault conviction and a 2022 lawsuit from five additional victims. “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,” he added.
Following his time on The Cosby Show, Warner starred alongside Eddie Griffin in the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie from 1996 to 2000. Warner later revealed that he and Griffin did not get along. “It was a miserable experience,” he told DCP Entertainment. He also starred in two seasons of the postapocalyptic drama Jeremiah on Showtime opposite Luke Perry, which filmed in Cada. “The very first phone conversation Luke and I had prior to coming up to Canada was about the fact that he and I have been doing this [acting] for a long time,” Warner told Steve Eramo. “We’ve both dealt with the politics, the bullshit, the egos, etc. We decided to make Jeremiah about the work, but also make sure we had a good time doing it.” Warner’s last main role on television was in the NBC medical drama The Resident, on which he played AJ for six seasons, until the show ended in 2023. He called it “hands down, my favorite role to play.”
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