As reported by PEOPLE, actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner recently told the outlet that he’s “still proud of the legacy” of The Cosby Show more than 30 years after the series ended. On The Cosby Show, Warner played the son, Theo Huxtable. While chatting with PEOPLE for the outlet’s Black History Month special, Warner said, “What made it so groundbreaking was its universality. NBC initially saw it as a show about an upper-middle-class Black family. Mr. Bill Cosby diligently impressed upon them that the show was about an upper-middle-class family that happened to be Black.”
The actor continued, “Prior to The Cosby Show, Black sitcom humor was predicated on being Black, the specificity of the ‘Black’ experience. Though the Huxtables were clearly Black — reflected quite obviously by their dress, the Black art on the walls, the music — the family issues all were universal. And though Cliff [Cosby] was a doctor and Claire [Phylicia Rashad] was an attorney, the family dynamic was one that practically every family — no matter the ethnicity, socio-economic status or even family makeup — could find something to relate to.”
Still, Cosby’s legal battles have impacted how some fans remember the series. Back in 2018, the actor was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for charges that involved drugging and sexually assaulting a woman. Though the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2021, five additional women sued the star for sexual assault in December, and one month later, another woman sued him for sexual battery.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner Said the Show Had “A Profound Impact” on “Black Culture — But Also American Culture”
Warner said, “Regardless of how some people may feel about the show now. I’m still proud of the legacy and having been a part of such an iconic show that had such a profound impact on — first and foremost, Black culture — but also American culture.”
The actor went on to say that The Cosby Show “broadened the perspective of how the world viewed Black people.” He continued, “While one of the initial criticisms of the show was that Black people didn’t live like the Huxtables, I was getting thousands of letters on the regular saying, ‘Thank you for this show. Our family is the Huxtables, my dad is a doctor, and my mom is a lawyer.’ The show shed light on the previously ignored Black middle class, which has always existed.”
He added, “And people in Cliff and Claire’s generation were often the first in their families to ever go to college, many of them becoming doctors and lawyers, like Barack and Michelle Obama. There’s even an argument that the show laid the groundwork for having a Black President of the United States.”
Warner finished by saying, “I know I can speak for all the cast when I say The Cosby Show is something that we are all still very proud of. We share a unique experience that keeps us lovingly bonded no matter how much time goes between seeing or hearing from each other.”
