Malcolm-Jamal Warner Revealed a ‘Surreal’ Moment That Blended Fatherhood & His ‘Cosby Show’ Past Before His Death
Those of us who grew up watching The Cosby Show are reeling after the tragic death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner on July 20. Warner, who played Theo Huxtable, died at age 54 after an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, where he was on vacation with his wife and daughter. A few months before his untimely death, the actor gave a rare interview about his 8-year-old daughter, revealing a “surreal” moment that blended fatherhood and his past TV series.
The Resident actor gushed about his daughter in a May episode of the Hot & Bothered podcast, per PEOPLE. (He did not publicly reveal the names of his wife and daughter before his death.) Warner revealed that he showed his daughter episodes of The Cosby Show when she was 4. “She said, ‘That’s Papa! That’s Papa!'” he recalled on the podcast. He then shared the moment that felt unbelievable.
“For the longest time, she actually called the show Rudy’s Family,” he shared, referring to his on-screen character’s sister Rudy, played by Keshia Knight Pullman. “The most surreal thing is, my daughter and Keshia’s daughter are just a couple months apart, and they are like this [crosses fingers]. It’s so crazy.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Warner spoke about his decision to keep his family life ultra private. “Obviously I don’t post them. I don’t, you know, I talk about them, because they are obviously the hugest parts of my life, the best parts of my life, best decisions I’ve ever made, but I like to keep them and their identity private,” he said on the podcast. “But I love talking about them because I want people to know that it is possible to be happy and to have love and love really be enriching.”
In June, Warner shared on his Not All Hood podcast about his daughter’s relationship with Knight Pullam’s daughter, who are about 3 months apart. “They love each other,” Warner said on the podcast, per USA Today.
“It’s so surreal to me that we have this kind of relationship as parents, and we see our next generation have this bond at such a young age,” he added.
In the past, Warner has shared heartwarming tributes to his daughter. In 2019, he shared several snaps of his little girl and wrote in part: “Often I find myself just staring at her and wondering where she came from. I wholeheartedly own that the parents she came from/chose are special spirits in our own right and we’ve passed onto her our spiritual and vibrational riches. I am proud that we have been able to provide a wonderful, loving, and spiritually enriching environment as a home base into which ALL babies should be born and thrive. But the spirit with which she entered this world is hers and hers alone.”
Our hearts are with Warner’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.
Before you go, check out these celebrity dads who have the sweetest bonds with their daughters.