Malcolm-Jamal Warner dead at 54

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sadly due to lack of resources in the country, I read that there was no lifeguard on duty when Malcom drowned.

I also read that there were signs warning ⚠️ of drowning which I have never seen on a beach.

I’m saddened at this loss - Malcom was a great 80’s actor as Theo Huxtable.
He was funny, charming + oh so adorable.
He will be missed.

Sadly his death is being overshadowed by Ozzy’s death.

I don't think so, people just don't know Malcolm, he hasn't been incredibly famous for decades. I haven't heard his name or seen his face in years.

White people?

I am not being difficult, but I think this is cultural thing. He was not as popular as he was in the 80s, but he was still very known and loved. He was involved in many projects over the years, and he’s had several very public relationships.

[NP]

What a silly comment.

Theo Huxtable was loved by a generation of kids, of all colors and backgrounds.

He is not as well known now because of the me too movement cancelling the Cosby Show, even in syndication, punishing the ensemble cast, not just Bill Cosby.

Just wanted to add, The Cosby Show does still air daily on a few networks (lesser known cable stations geared towards Black American content, but the show can be found). I’d love for it to come back to streaming one day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by how many see him as an icon and have such strong attachment to him. I do remember him from the Cosby show but haven’t heard or seen of him since. We had a few shows we watched regularly as kids but I haven’t heard anything about most of those actors / actresses in decades and they definitely weren’t central to my life or childhood memories.

I also think part of it is people don't understand what the Cosby Show meant to black people. For a lot of Black families, The Cosby Show wasn’t just a popular sitcom; it was one of the first times they saw a successful, loving Black family portrayed on TV in a positive and aspirational way. That representation had a big emotional and cultural impact, especially in the '80s and '90s when that kind of visibility was rare.

Agree, but this was also true for a lot of white families. It seemed like everyone's familiy was watching the Cosby Show for several years then, and yes it had a huge impact.

This.

Go back and search racial demographics in the USA when the show aired.

Hint: the black population was very small.

The reason the show was so successful was because everyone watched it—including most white families. The show was well written and well acted.

The show was important in many ways, particularly since it introduced many people who otherwise weren’t interacting closely with black people to a highly functional black family who was endearing and impressive.

The Cosby show was transformative in terms of the impact it made on Americans. Seriously.

I'm not really sure what this has to do with the discussion, but the black population has not changed much since the 80s. The U.S. was significantly more White, but the black population has remained pretty consistent as a share of the total.

The black population was 25-28M in 1985 when the show first aired and it’s closer to 50M now.

There has been a lot written about how segregated communities were when the show first aired simply because the black population was relatively small and so many communities simply lacked any really diversity. Point being: lots of people weren’t really interacting with black families and the show broke down barriers since everyone essentially watched the Huxtables every week for many, many years. Remember: most homes didn’t have cable tv in 1985; weeks only had a handful of channels and everyone basically watched the Cosby show.

It was transformative. It was beloved.

And Theo was a fan favorite who made an impression on an entire generation (and beyond).

The point is MJW’s impact transcended the black community. We all loved him. Theo was awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by how many see him as an icon and have such strong attachment to him. I do remember him from the Cosby show but haven’t heard or seen of him since. We had a few shows we watched regularly as kids but I haven’t heard anything about most of those actors / actresses in decades and they definitely weren’t central to my life or childhood memories.

I also think part of it is people don't understand what the Cosby Show meant to black people. For a lot of Black families, The Cosby Show wasn’t just a popular sitcom; it was one of the first times they saw a successful, loving Black family portrayed on TV in a positive and aspirational way. That representation had a big emotional and cultural impact, especially in the '80s and '90s when that kind of visibility was rare.

Agree, but this was also true for a lot of white families. It seemed like everyone's familiy was watching the Cosby Show for several years then, and yes it had a huge impact.

This.

Go back and search racial demographics in the USA when the show aired.

Hint: the black population was very small.

The reason the show was so successful was because everyone watched it—including most white families. The show was well written and well acted.

The show was important in many ways, particularly since it introduced many people who otherwise weren’t interacting closely with black people to a highly functional black family who was endearing and impressive.

The Cosby show was transformative in terms of the impact it made on Americans. Seriously.

I'm not really sure what this has to do with the discussion, but the black population has not changed much since the 80s. The U.S. was significantly more White, but the black population has remained pretty consistent as a share of the total.

The black population was 25-28M in 1985 when the show first aired and it’s closer to 50M now.

There has been a lot written about how segregated communities were when the show first aired simply because the black population was relatively small and so many communities simply lacked any really diversity. Point being: lots of people weren’t really interacting with black families and the show broke down barriers since everyone essentially watched the Huxtables every week for many, many years. Remember: most homes didn’t have cable tv in 1985; weeks only had a handful of channels and everyone basically watched the Cosby show.

It was transformative. It was beloved.

And Theo was a fan favorite who made an impression on an entire generation (and beyond).

The point is MJW’s impact transcended the black community. We all loved him. Theo was awesome.

Except for the PP who said that his death is overshadowed by Ozzy’s because no one knows MJW.

I can assure you that Ozzy isn’t overshadowing MJW with Black folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by how many see him as an icon and have such strong attachment to him. I do remember him from the Cosby show but haven’t heard or seen of him since. We had a few shows we watched regularly as kids but I haven’t heard anything about most of those actors / actresses in decades and they definitely weren’t central to my life or childhood memories.

I also think part of it is people don't understand what the Cosby Show meant to black people. For a lot of Black families, The Cosby Show wasn’t just a popular sitcom; it was one of the first times they saw a successful, loving Black family portrayed on TV in a positive and aspirational way. That representation had a big emotional and cultural impact, especially in the '80s and '90s when that kind of visibility was rare.

Agree, but this was also true for a lot of white families. It seemed like everyone's familiy was watching the Cosby Show for several years then, and yes it had a huge impact.

This.

Go back and search racial demographics in the USA when the show aired.

Hint: the black population was very small.

The reason the show was so successful was because everyone watched it—including most white families. The show was well written and well acted.

The show was important in many ways, particularly since it introduced many people who otherwise weren’t interacting closely with black people to a highly functional black family who was endearing and impressive.

The Cosby show was transformative in terms of the impact it made on Americans. Seriously.

I'm not really sure what this has to do with the discussion, but the black population has not changed much since the 80s. The U.S. was significantly more White, but the black population has remained pretty consistent as a share of the total.

The black population was 25-28M in 1985 when the show first aired and it’s closer to 50M now.

There has been a lot written about how segregated communities were when the show first aired simply because the black population was relatively small and so many communities simply lacked any really diversity. Point being: lots of people weren’t really interacting with black families and the show broke down barriers since everyone essentially watched the Huxtables every week for many, many years. Remember: most homes didn’t have cable tv in 1985; weeks only had a handful of channels and everyone basically watched the Cosby show.

It was transformative. It was beloved.

And Theo was a fan favorite who made an impression on an entire generation (and beyond).

The point is MJW’s impact transcended the black community. We all loved him. Theo was awesome.

Except for the PP who said that his death is overshadowed by Ozzy’s because no one knows MJW.

I can assure you that Ozzy isn’t overshadowing MJW with Black folks.

That might have been a 20 something who only knows about the Cosby Show because it had something to do with predator Bill Cosby.

On the note of how wonderful the Huxtables were, did Little Bill get cancelled too? That was one of the most beautiful early childhood shows ever made. So gentle and loving, with Cosby Show style life lessons, but for the 5 and under set

[Anonymous]

Now I’m getting related articles in my social media feed, including a news clip with footage of the beach and commentary that surfers tried to help him…which begs the question: who opts to swim on a surfing beach?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sadly due to lack of resources in the country, I read that there was no lifeguard on duty when Malcom drowned.

I also read that there were signs warning ⚠️ of drowning which I have never seen on a beach.

I’m saddened at this loss - Malcom was a great 80’s actor as Theo Huxtable.
He was funny, charming + oh so adorable.
He will be missed.

Sadly his death is being overshadowed by Ozzy’s death.

I don't think so, people just don't know Malcolm, he hasn't been incredibly famous for decades. I haven't heard his name or seen his face in years.

White people?

I am not being difficult, but I think this is cultural thing. He was not as popular as he was in the 80s, but he was still very known and loved. He was involved in many projects over the years, and he’s had several very public relationships.

[NP]

What a silly comment.

Theo Huxtable was loved by a generation of kids, of all colors and backgrounds.

He is not as well known now because of the me too movement cancelling the Cosby Show, even in syndication, punishing the ensemble cast, not just Bill Cosby.

This.

Fwiw the Cosby show holds up well. It’s still funny and endearing. If you haven’t heard Claire Huxtable lecture her kids, you are missing out. I’ve literally sent my kids links to clips from the show as funny teachable moments…and when I don’t have the words to convey what Claire so aptly expressed.

Everyone should watch/rewatch that show…and perhaps remember or learn what Gen X understands: the fact that a sitcom about a black family was the most popular show on tv for many years demonstrates that American society was actually not as racist or divided as some choose to believe these days. Everyone watched that show and everyone loved those characters. MJW was a teen heart-throb and so was Lisa Bonet. Claire Huxtable prompted tons of girls to go to law school—including this white girl. Americans of all races and ethnicity aspired to have a life (and home and family) like the Huxtables.

This is a beautiful comment, and one of the other PPs made me smile too. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not ready for this.

I know there are already a lot of celebrities who have died, that were very present in my youth entertainment exposure, but this hits home.

We are not old. We're still trying to hide piercings from our elders and sneaking off to concerts in Baltimore.

You’re having BIG FUN, huh? Seeing The Wretched in Baltimore.

♥️😢

I remember laughing so hard to Theo's antics. So much fun

Wasnt that Vanessa?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently he was swimming at the beach in Costa Rica and a strong current took him out far. By the time he was rescued, it was too late.

https://apnews.com/article/malcolm-jamal-warner-dies-drowning-330d6643dcb2cd038a3fe5a9cc8abb70

Not sure a life guard is going to get credit for that “rescue.”

[Anonymous]

Agree with all the PPs that this one hit me hard. He (and the Cosby Show) was a huge part of my childhood. I think a lot of Gen-X feel similarly, regardless of race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by how many see him as an icon and have such strong attachment to him. I do remember him from the Cosby show but haven’t heard or seen of him since. We had a few shows we watched regularly as kids but I haven’t heard anything about most of those actors / actresses in decades and they definitely weren’t central to my life or childhood memories.

I also think part of it is people don't understand what the Cosby Show meant to black people. For a lot of Black families, The Cosby Show wasn’t just a popular sitcom; it was one of the first times they saw a successful, loving Black family portrayed on TV in a positive and aspirational way. That representation had a big emotional and cultural impact, especially in the '80s and '90s when that kind of visibility was rare.

Agree, but this was also true for a lot of white families. It seemed like everyone's familiy was watching the Cosby Show for several years then, and yes it had a huge impact.

This.

Go back and search racial demographics in the USA when the show aired.

Hint: the black population was very small.

The reason the show was so successful was because everyone watched it—including most white families. The show was well written and well acted.

The show was important in many ways, particularly since it introduced many people who otherwise weren’t interacting closely with black people to a highly functional black family who was endearing and impressive.

The Cosby show was transformative in terms of the impact it made on Americans. Seriously.

I'm not really sure what this has to do with the discussion, but the black population has not changed much since the 80s. The U.S. was significantly more White, but the black population has remained pretty consistent as a share of the total.

The black population was 25-28M in 1985 when the show first aired and it’s closer to 50M now.

There has been a lot written about how segregated communities were when the show first aired simply because the black population was relatively small and so many communities simply lacked any really diversity. Point being: lots of people weren’t really interacting with black families and the show broke down barriers since everyone essentially watched the Huxtables every week for many, many years. Remember: most homes didn’t have cable tv in 1985; weeks only had a handful of channels and everyone basically watched the Cosby show.

It was transformative. It was beloved.

And Theo was a fan favorite who made an impression on an entire generation (and beyond).

The point is MJW’s impact transcended the black community. We all loved him. Theo was awesome.

Where are you getting that information? I got mine from https://www.census.gov/.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently he was swimming at the beach in Costa Rica and a strong current took him out far. By the time he was rescued, it was too late.

https://apnews.com/article/malcolm-jamal-warner-dies-drowning-330d6643dcb2cd038a3fe5a9cc8abb70

Not sure a life guard is going to get credit for that “rescue.”

Did the lifeguard bring his body or not. This person put themselves in danger and did the work, in fact with a brick of a body. (I’m sorry, I mean he would not have been helping to swim at all).

Hero. Yes, that counts.

RIP MJW. I’m an 80s baby, 90s kid. I loved the Cosby Show and I also agree most of it is valuable even if we loathe Bill (rightly so).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sadly due to lack of resources in the country, I read that there was no lifeguard on duty when Malcom drowned.

I also read that there were signs warning ⚠️ of drowning which I have never seen on a beach.

I’m saddened at this loss - Malcom was a great 80’s actor as Theo Huxtable.
He was funny, charming + oh so adorable.
He will be missed.

Sadly his death is being overshadowed by Ozzy’s death.

I don't think so, people just don't know Malcolm, he hasn't been incredibly famous for decades. I haven't heard his name or seen his face in years.

White people?

I am not being difficult, but I think this is cultural thing. He was not as popular as he was in the 80s, but he was still very known and loved. He was involved in many projects over the years, and he’s had several very public relationships.

[NP]

This is not a race thing. Ozzy was far more famous, for far longer.

In this case, I think it is. For many (most?) Black people, MJW is more beloved than Ozzy. And that’s OK. It’s not a competition. As a PP said, there is enough love and grief for both. No one is getting overshadowed.

I agree. I'm black and I couldn't name one Ozzy song. I didn't even now he was in the group Black Sabbath until I saw a clip on social media from that last tour he did and they were making a big deal about it. I also don't now any Black Sabbath songs. Everyone I know personally is talking about MJW. My SIL called me yesterday and the first thing she said was "Can you believe what happened to MJW". One of my friends texted me the day it happened. She was shocked. So many posts on social media from my IRL friends that are talking about it. Even seeing people re-post about him and Regina King (they dated for a couple of years). I've also seen some people posting that he was now with his true love Michelle Thomas. She played his gf on The Cosby Show, and they dated IRL for 7 years. Although they weren't together anymore, he was by her side when she died. I saw one post about Ozzy; a woman I went to high school with 35 years ago re-posted an article about his death.

In my community we all still love and adore Malcom just as much as we did back in the 80s watching him on the The Cosby Show.

A non black minority here and the Cosby show meant a ton to me. I know it’s not the same as for black kids, but it was rare to see anyone brown. And I only grew up with sisters. It was so fun to watch Theo. It’s true that I didn’t watch a lot of his newer roles, but I have such a soft spot for Theo.

I never knew Ozzy until his reality show, which was entertaining I guess. But not emotionally engaging. For this 80s girl, MJW hits harder. Of course, as another said, there is plenty of grief to go around and others will have similar reasons for why Ozzy meant so much to them.

[Anonymous]

[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by how many see him as an icon and have such strong attachment to him. I do remember him from the Cosby show but haven’t heard or seen of him since. We had a few shows we watched regularly as kids but I haven’t heard anything about most of those actors / actresses in decades and they definitely weren’t central to my life or childhood memories.

I also think part of it is people don't understand what the Cosby Show meant to black people. For a lot of Black families, The Cosby Show wasn’t just a popular sitcom; it was one of the first times they saw a successful, loving Black family portrayed on TV in a positive and aspirational way. That representation had a big emotional and cultural impact, especially in the '80s and '90s when that kind of visibility was rare.

Agree, but this was also true for a lot of white families. It seemed like everyone's familiy was watching the Cosby Show for several years then, and yes it had a huge impact.

This.

Go back and search racial demographics in the USA when the show aired.

Hint: the black population was very small.

The reason the show was so successful was because everyone watched it—including most white families. The show was well written and well acted.

The show was important in many ways, particularly since it introduced many people who otherwise weren’t interacting closely with black people to a highly functional black family who was endearing and impressive.

The Cosby show was transformative in terms of the impact it made on Americans. Seriously.

I'm not really sure what this has to do with the discussion, but the black population has not changed much since the 80s. The U.S. was significantly more White, but the black population has remained pretty consistent as a share of the total.

The black population was 25-28M in 1985 when the show first aired and it’s closer to 50M now.

There has been a lot written about how segregated communities were when the show first aired simply because the black population was relatively small and so many communities simply lacked any really diversity. Point being: lots of people weren’t really interacting with black families and the show broke down barriers since everyone essentially watched the Huxtables every week for many, many years. Remember: most homes didn’t have cable tv in 1985; weeks only had a handful of channels and everyone basically watched the Cosby show.

It was transformative. It was beloved.

And Theo was a fan favorite who made an impression on an entire generation (and beyond).

The point is MJW’s impact transcended the black community. We all loved him. Theo was awesome.

Except for the PP who said that his death is overshadowed by Ozzy’s because no one knows MJW.

I can assure you that Ozzy isn’t overshadowing MJW with Black folks.

Loved MJW as Theo. Really sad. Honestly, RIP Ozzy but all really I think about with Ozzy is just how amazing the human body is that he made it that long after everything his body has been through. But also other really healthy people don’t. Doesn’t all make sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by how many see him as an icon and have such strong attachment to him. I do remember him from the Cosby show but haven’t heard or seen of him since. We had a few shows we watched regularly as kids but I haven’t heard anything about most of those actors / actresses in decades and they definitely weren’t central to my life or childhood memories.

I also think part of it is people don't understand what the Cosby Show meant to black people. For a lot of Black families, The Cosby Show wasn’t just a popular sitcom; it was one of the first times they saw a successful, loving Black family portrayed on TV in a positive and aspirational way. That representation had a big emotional and cultural impact, especially in the '80s and '90s when that kind of visibility was rare.

As a white kid from the 80s with a dysfunctional family, MJW was my pretend brother (and then boyfriend), Bill Cosby was my pretend dad. My home was very strict but somehow TV between 8-9 pm was totally fair game every night in a way that it definitely is not in my UMC circles now. Along with the families from Growing Pains and Family Ties, the characters from all of these shows were as real to me as my own relatives, but far better role models and huge influences in my life. I would never tell anyone this, but I was sincerely disappointed that real college was not like it was on A Different World and one of the reasons I applied to Columbia is because Carol Seaver went there. I even wrote that in whatever short essay asked the "why Columbia" question and they actually accepted me in spite of that.

I follow the actors closely because it's always a little heartbreaking when one of them is a bad person in real life (Bill Cosby, Kirk Cameron). I haven't read a bad word about MJW.

[Anonymous]

He was a lovely presence on that show. I remember watching it as a teen.