Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s TV father is addressing his tragic death.
Hours after it was reported that the actor died at 54 by drowning in Costa Rica while on vacation with his family, Bill Cosby’s rep, Andrew Wyatt, shared how the comedian took the news.
Wyatt told The Post that Cosby “spoke to Phylicia Rashad earlier today and they reminisced about Malcolm.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Bill Cosby on “The Cosby Show.” NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesCosby starred as Cliff Huxtable, the dad of Warner’s character Theodore “Theo” Huxtable in “The Cosby Show” for eight seasons, from 1984 to 1992. Rashad, 77, played Clair Huxtable, Theo’s mom.
According to Wyatt, Cosby shared that his childhood friend recently passed away, noting that hearing of Warner’s death added to his pain.
The actor, who just celebrated his 88th birthday, feels like “everybody’s leaving,” Wyatt told The Post.
The star’s spokesperson also shared that Cosby told him, “While I was their TV dad, I never stopped being a father to them.”
The actor also compared Warner’s passing to losing his own son, Ennis Cosby, who was murdered in 1997.
Members of Cosby’s TV family: Sabrina Le Beauf (from left), Tempestt Bledsoe, Cosby, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Phylicia Rashad, Raven Symone and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. AP
The Huxtables, America’s TV family from 1984 to 1992. NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesHearing the news “reminded him of the same call he received when his son died,” Wyatt added.
Cosby’s only son was fatally shot during an attempted robbery while changing his flat tire on a Los Angeles freeway ramp. He was 27.
Cosby’s rep told The Post that the actor “never stopped being a father” to his TV children. Courtesy Everett CollectionWyatt also shared a heartwarming story of a full-circle moment with Warner.
“He started with ‘The Cosby Show,’ he was a teenager,” he told The Post, adding that Cosby gave Warner his upright bass named after his son in 2016, more than two decades after “The Cosby Show” ended.
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He passed the instrument on “so his [Ennis’] legacy would be that he humanized the world,” Wyatt said, adding now that Warner’s dead, “he would humanize the world even more.”
Corbis via Getty ImagesWyatt shared that Cosby recently spoke to Warner.
“He had just done a concert in Minnesota and called Mr. Cosby and talked about it. They spoke all the time. He said ‘Malcolm was changing humanity,’ ” he said.
Wyatt also addressed Cosby’s reaction with People, in which he called the tragedy “devastating.”
Cosby recently spoke to Warner, revealing they last talked “three months ago.” NBCUniversal via Getty Images“He [Cosby] found a way to talk about Malcolm even though he was sad,” he told the outlet.
Talking with CBS News’ Jericka Duncan, Cosby said he and his former TV wife were “embracing each other over the phone about a dearly beloved friend.”
“He was never afraid to go to his room and study. He knew his lines and that he was quite comfortable even with the growing pains of being a teenager,” Cosby added, sharing he last spoke to Warner “three months ago.”
He knew his lines and that he was quite comfortable even with the growing pains of being a teenager,” Cosby shared of Warner. Getty Images
Cosby’s rep revealed to The Post that he and his TV wife reminisced on the phone about Warner after learning about his death. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesWarner died July 20 when he accidentally drowned.
Costa Rican National Police told The Post that Warner was pulled from the water by people in the area and taken to shore, where they desperately attempted to save his life, but it was too late.
“The victim appears to have entered the sea and was apparently swept away by a current. The man was rescued by bystanders and taken to shore, where he received treatment from the Costa Rican Red Cross. However, he was declared lifeless at the scene,” the OIJ later confirmed to People.
Warner died July 20 at 54. WireImageThe actor’s body was taken to the morgue at San Joaquin de Flores for an autopsy. His cause of death was listed as asphyxiation by “submersion,” the Costa Rican National Police said.
Warner was handpicked by Cosby for the role of Theo on the family sitcom, which later earned the young star a 1986 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Besides Warner, Cosby and Rashad, the Huxtable family included Sabrina Le Beauf (Sondra), Lisa Bonet (Denise), Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa) and Keshia Knight Pulliam (Rudy).
The actor earned an Emmy nomination for his role on the sitcom. Getty Images for SCAD aTVfest 2020
The show earned 29 Emmy nominations, taking home six. Getty ImagesAfter his stint on the beloved NBC sitcom, Warner continued to have success on shows like “Malcolm & Eddie” with Eddie Griffin (1996 to 2000) and “The Resident” (2018 to 2023).
He also starred on “Reed Between the Lines” with Tracee Ellis Ross and appeared in several TV favorites like “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” “American Crime Story,” “Suits” and more.
Warner leaves behind his wife and daughter. NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesMany of his former co-stars, including Griffin and Ross, also addressed Warner’s shocking passing.
“For what the world lost was a Father a Son a Poet a Musician a Actor a Teacher a Writer a Director a Friend a Warrior that I had the pleasure of going to war with against the Hollywood machine and sometimes with each other because that’s what Brothers do but the Love was and is always there🙏🏾 ,” Griffin said.
Warner leaves behind his wife and daughter.






