What Malcolm-Jamal Warner Said About Bill Cosby

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who has died tragically in Costa Rica at the age of 54, famously played Theo Huxtable, the only son of comedian Bill Cosby on The Cosby Show.

When Cosby was accused of crimes, Warner opened up about his former TV dad.

Warner drowned in an accidental death on July 20 while on a family vacation, according to TMZ.

“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,” Warner told Billboard of Bill Cosby. “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."

The comments came in an interview in 2015.

“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," he said to 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. I can’t speak on the other stuff.”

In 2021, an appellate court threw out a sexual assault conviction against Cosby, the Associated Press reported. He had spent three years in prison.

The U.S. Supreme Court then declined to hear an appeal from prosecutors.

According to Variety, the Pennsylvania court ruled that Cosby's "due process rights had been violated during his conviction and that a 2005 agreement with former prosecutor Bruce Castor should have prevented him from being charged again."

Details are still unfolding into Warner's untimely death. According to ABC News, Costa Rican authorities say that he asphyxiated when he was caught in a "high current" in that country.

Related: Malcolm-Jamal Warner Kids & Family: He Kept His Daughter Private