Late star Malcolm-Jamal Warner says everyone in the room loved his Cosby Show audition — except B...

In a new doc, Warner, who played Theo Huxtable for eight seasons, recalls having a frontrow seat as Cosby battled execs to maintain his vision of the sitcom. La

In a new doc, Warner, who played Theo Huxtable for eight seasons, recalls having a front-row seat as Cosby battled execs to maintain his vision of the sitcom.

Late star Malcolm-Jamal Warner says everyone in the room loved his *Cosby Show *audition — except Bill Cosby

In a new doc, Warner, who played Theo Huxtable for eight seasons, recalls having a front-row seat as Cosby battled execs to maintain his vision of the sitcom.

By Shania Russell

September 11, 2025 12:40 p.m. ET

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'The Cosby Show' costars Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Bill Cosby. Credit:

Nbc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

As Malcolm-Jamal Warner recalls it, Bill Cosby would not compromise his vision for *The Cosby Show* for anyone — including his future sitcom son.

In the new two-part HBO documentary *Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television — *one of his final onscreen appearances following his death by drowning at 54 in July — the actor reflected on his experience starring in the hit series. Looking back on his years working with the *Cosby Show* patriarch and creator, Warner said that from day one Cosby had a clear idea of what it would be.

"When I auditioned for *Cosby*, I was 13," said Warner. "I'd been watching, you know, *Diff'rent Strokes* and watching these kids on television be smart alecks and what have you. That's what my acting had been influenced by."

Since he was auditioning for the part of Huxtable son and resident troublemaker Theo, he leaned into the attitude of it all. But not everyone was pleased.**

Phylicia Rashad, Bill Cosby, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and Tempestt Bledsoe on 'The Cosby Show'.

NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

"I killed in the room," he recalled in the doc. "I was getting the laughs, and I'm 13, I'm killing in the room. And I finished my audition, and everybody was smiling — except Mr. Cosby."

The issue? Cosby wanted Theo rooted in reality, and he made sure Warner understood that. "He looked at me and he said, 'Would you really talk to your father like that?'" Warner remembered. "And I said, 'No.' He said, 'Well, I don't want to see that on this show.'"

Warner went on to say Cosby's commitment to his vision led to years of him fighting with executives who had their own ideas about the characters and tone of the sitcom.

"Mr. Cosby made certain that everyone was acutely aware *The Cosby Show* was his brainchild," said Warner. "But then you have these other creatives. You know, there's a network producer, writers, you know, studio coming in, trying to tell him how to do his show, and every step of the way Mr. Cosby had to stop them and remind them that's not the show that we're doing."

What Malcolm-Jamal Warner said on his final podcast episode before his death

Keshia Knight Pulliam pays tribute to late 'Cosby Show' costar Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Warner added that he had a front-row seat to those disagreements for the show's entire eight-season run: "I watched him do that from year one to year eight," he said. "That battle never, never stopped until the show stopped."

** has reached out to Cosby's representatives for comment on the audition and his battles over the show.

*The Cosby Show* went on to great acclaim, paving the way for a new generation of Black-led sitcoms and the rest of comedy television that followed. But as the HBO documentary addresses, Cosby's own legacy remains complex. The actor and comedian faced legal trouble in the decades after the show, confronting allegations of sexual misconduct from dozens of women — allegations he denied. While he was convicted of sexual assault in 2018, he was released on a technicality in 2021.

Up until his death, Warner maintained that he was proud to have been part of* The Cosby Show* and identified the comedian as a crucial mentor, while admitting it was "painful" to learn of the sexual assault and misconduct claims against him.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner in Los Angeles in 2023.

Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty

"I can't really speak on any of the allegations because, obviously, I was not there," Warner told *Billboard* in 2015. "The Bill Cosby I know has been great to me and great for a lot of people… 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."

He expanded on the subject in 2023, telling PEOPLE, "I can't defend him or his actions at all. But I also can't throw him under the bus completely. Because I have an understanding of all the layers. It's so complex, and it's so many shades of gray that most people will never get."

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Warner died in an accidental drowning on July 20 after getting caught by a high current while off the coast of Costa Rica for a family vacation. Following Warner's death, Cosby spoke out to lament the loss of his TV son.

"He was always a great studier, and I enjoyed working with him very much," Cosby told ABC News. "He was very professional. He always knew his part… He always knew his lines, and he always knew where to go."

Warner rose to fame as Theo Huxtable, one of the five children of Cosby's Dr. Cliff Huxtable and his wife, Clair (Phylicia Rashad). His onscreen siblings included Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe), and Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam). The NBC comedy, which ran from 1984 to 1992, was groundbreaking at its time for its depiction of an affluent African-American family.**

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