The Cosby Show actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has died, according to multiple sources. He was 54.
Warner accidentally drowned off the coast of Cocles beach near Limon, Costa Rica, on Saturday afternoon, local police confirmed to ABC News. The alert stated that two men were swept out to sea by high currents; one man was rescued and brought to a hospital in critical condition; Warner was recovered on Sunday, according to Costa Rican outlet La Teja, citing Costa Rican Red Cross officials.
The actor played Theo Huxtable, the only son of Bill Cosby’s patriarch Cliff Huxtable, on the seminal NBC sitcom from 1984 until 1992, earning one Emmy nomination. Warner went on to star alongside Eddie Griffin in the sitcom Malcom & Eddie from 1996 until 2000, and became an executive producer and voice actor on the beloved educational children’s series the Magic School Bus.
He also starred as Alex Reed opposite Tracee-Ellis Ross on the BET show Reed Between the Lines, from 2011 until 2015. He often guest-starred on television, with credits on shows such as Major Crimes, Suits, The Resident, 9-1-1 and Alert: Missing Persons Unit.
Born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, Warner attended performing arts high school in New York City before his big break on the Cosby Show. He auditioned for the role of Theo on the final day of a nationwide search. During his tenure on the popular sitcom, Warner trained as a director, and went on to direct numerous music videos for the likes of New Edition and others, as well as episodes of sitcoms such as the Cosby Show, Kenan & Kel and Malcolm & Eddie.
Warner continued to defend the Cosby Show’s legacy as a groundbreaking portrayal of a Black American family on television, though he acknowledged the show’s reputation had changed after Bill Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018 (the conviction was later overturned on a technicality in 2021). More than 60 women have accused Cosby of violations from sexual harassment to rape, often involving a pattern of drugging to incapacitation.
“I know I can speak for all of the cast when I say the Cosby Show is something that we are still very proud of,” he told People in 2023. “Regardless of how some people may feel about the show now, 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,” Warner said.
Most recently, he started hosting his own podcast, Not All Hood, whose latest episode dropped just three days ago. The show was the place where he could be “the most vulnerable”, he told People.
“When we talk about the Black community, we tend to speak of it as a monolith when the reality is there are so many different facets of the Black community, and we wanted to have a space where we can really explore, discuss, and acknowledge all of those different aspects,” he added.
Warner is survived by a wife and daughter, whose identities he never revealed publicly.
The Guardian has reached out to his representatives for comment.
