America at large (not just Black America) was shocked to learn that Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor best known for playing Theo on “The Cosby Show,” died from drowning Sunday (July 20). To quote Michael Jackson, it did not matter if you were Black or white…everyone and their momma watched Theo grow from a lazy, well-meaning kid to something of an intellectual in the 1980s and 1990s.
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But amid all the outpouring of grief, one thing became very clear real fast. Warner had a secret life… in the best possible way.
We are accustomed to knowing too much about the partners and kids of celebrities. For example, Beyonce loves to put her girls on stage at concerts.
And Will Smith? He goes out of his way to make his kids a part of his public life.
But not Warner. He took a different route.
He had many public relationships. He dated Michelle Thomas, who played Myra on “Family Matters” and Theo’s girlfriend Justine on “The Cosby Show,” until her death in 1998. He also dated Regina King from 2010 to 2013. But when got married, Warner decided to keep his wife’s name to himself.
He granted a rare interview to Jemele Hill on her “Jemele is Unbothered” podcast, and he gushed about his wife without ever reveling her name. He also talked about how he initially did not want kids but had a change of heart five months into the relationship.
“I said, ‘What do you think about starting a family?’” he shared on the pod. “I decided, if I’m going to have a kid, this is the person I would like to have it with.”
But when she was born, he also decided to keep his daughter away from the public eye. Never once did he share her name.
It was clear that he was a huge girl dad. On the last video he shared publicly, he proudly wore a flower in his hair because it was his daughter’s birthday, and she wanted him to wear it.
The world will remember him most from his time on network television. But Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s secret life, his family, is his greatest legacy. They may decide to come out and reveal who they are, he was intentional about making sure they had a say in the matter.
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