Malcolm-Jamal Warner, known best for playing Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has died at 54, according to multiple reports, and Black America has taken to social media to mourn the loss of the beloved actor.
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The internet was immediately flooded with posts and tributes to the actor once the news broke of his passing, as millions of fans grew up watching him. On X, formerly known as Twitter, @FranklinLeonard wrote, “This one hurts,” with a gif of Warner as Theo.
Another user, @IAMNJERA, wrote, “I literally screamed over that Malcolm-Jamal Warner news. I can’t believe it.” They added in another post that Theo was, “one of the most beloved characters in sitcom history. One of the best to ever do it. MJW, you will be sorely missed.”
The actor was on a family trip to Costa Rica and died in an accidental drowning while swimming, according to People Magazine.
Warner made his mark portraying Theo, the only son of Bill Cosby’s Heathcliff Huxtable, on “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992. A true cultural landmark, “The Cosby Show,” which centered on an upper-middle-class Black-American family living in Brooklyn, shaped generations, and the character of Theo was certainly integral to the show’s overall story and success. The show stands as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, with TV Guide claiming the show, “almost single-handedly revived the sitcom genre and NBC’s ratings fortunes.”
For his work as Theo, Warner earned acclaim from critics and audiences, even earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1986. Theo’s early struggles with academics (and eventual dyslexia diagnosis) were major topics on the series, resonating with millions of viewers who shared similar struggles. Theo went on to become a great student in the series, going off to college and eventually becoming a student teacher himself.
Warner continued to act well past “The Cosby Show,” however, starring in the UPN sitcom “Malcom & Eddie” from 1996 – 2000, and “Reed Between the Lines” on BET. Warner also starred in the popular FX series “Sons of Anarchy” as “Sticky,” portrayed Al Cowlings in “The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” and played AJ Austin on “The Resident” from 2018 – 2023. He also voiced “The Producer” on the popular PBS series, “The Magic School Bus.”
Outside of acting, Warner was also a spoken word poet. He took home the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2015 for his contributions to “Jesus Children,” with Robert Glasper and Lalah Hathaway. He also recently launched a podcast, “Not All Hood” with co-host Candace Kelley, which “takes a look at the lived experiences and identities of Black people in America.”
Warner is survived by his wife and daughter.
Across American, Black folks were expressing the pain of a man who had so much life to live.
@KevCoke6, wrote that while ‘The Cosby Show” has a “dark cloud” around it now since Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, Warner as Theo remains “one of the most important/iconic portrayals of a young Black man on TV. From his struggles with dyslexia to becoming an educator, Theo was so important in the 80s/90s.”
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