Phylicia Rashad, who played the indelible matriarch Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” introduced the in memoriam performance at the 2025 Emmys and used the opportunity to say goodbye to her onscreen son, Theo Huxtable actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
“He was a beloved teenager in an iconic television series who the world watched grow into manhood,” she said.
“Like all our friends and colleagues who transitioned this past year, Malcolm-Jamal Warner remains in our hearts.
Popular on Variety Rashad and Warner were co-stars on “The Cosby Show” for the entire eight season run.
For the first time, I’m sharing a glimpse of the love that began it all.
At the 2025 Emmys, Phylicia Rashad, who portrayed the iconic matriarch Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” introduced the in memoriam performance and took the opportunity to bid farewell to her on-screen son, Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s character Theo Huxtable.
According to her, “the world watched him grow into a man while he was a beloved teenager in an iconic television series.”. Malcolm-Jamal Warner is still in our hearts, just like all of our friends and coworkers who went through a transition in the past year. As is customary at the Emmys, we honor them tonight for their extraordinary talent as well as the way they inspired us to believe in our own greatest potential. All of us can smile even though they are no longer with us because we know that their influence will endure and that their enduring impressions will live on in stories because they had an impact on our lives. And their light endures in the very fabric of our industry, regardless of whether you discovered their brilliance recently or grew up watching them. “.”.
While on vacation with his family in Costa Rica, Warner accidentally drowned and died in July at the age of 54.
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Throughout the entire eight-season run of “The Cosby Show,” Rashad and Warner costarred. A Different World, a spin-off of “Cosby Show,” featured Warner as Theo in its first two seasons. “”.
In September. 12. On Instagram, Tenisha Warner honored her late husband by writing, “We are grateful that you showed us so much love during this difficult time.”. Our anniversary is tomorrow, and I’m ecstatic. I’m giving you a first look at the love that started it all. My husband’s laughter and the way he accommodated every aspect of me, including my dreams and tears, are still audible. “.”.
“Today, in his honor, my daughter and I are launching River and Ember and officially opening The Warner Family Foundation,” she wrote, announcing plans for a new project to honor his legacy. We all work together to continue the legacy my husband and I started, which encourages children’s inner light and allows young artists to express themselves freely. Love is still moving in this way. still producing. still advancing us. “”.
