Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner and daughter. Credit :
Michael Kovac/Getty; Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Instagram
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner died after drowning during a July 2025 family vacation in Costa Rica
- The Cosby Show actor was married and had one daughter
- Warner kept his personal life private and didn’t share the name of his daughter, but often spoke about being a proud father
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was the father of one daughter.
Although the late Cosby Show actor kept much of his private life out of the spotlight, he had previously posted pictures expressing how much he loved his only child. Warner never publicly shared his daughter’s name or birthdate and kept the identity of his wife private, but he called their child their “mini us” in a 2021 Instagram post.
Warner also posted a throwback video of him dancing with his daughter when she was a baby and noted how fast she had grown up in 2023.
“Yoooo! Y’all remember this? Man, time flies! I was playing this song in the car over the weekend and my baby didn’t even remember it,” he wrote at the time. “We used to play it all the time when she was 1. Had to go back and find this post to show her. I’m happy to say that this beautiful song is now back in rotation.”
Warner was 54 years old when he died during a family vacation in Costa Rica, a source confirmed to PEOPLE on July 21. The actor drowned while swimming.
Here’s everything to know about the late Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s daughter.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner and daughter. Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Instagram
Warner chose to keep his daughter’s identity private, so he never posted a picture of her face or shared her name or birthdate. However, in an August 2021 Instagram post, Warner wrote that his daughter was 3 years old.
In September 2019, the former child actor shared a series of photos that hid her face and explained why he kept her out of the spotlight.
“Thank you for sharing in my joy as a father even though I don’t post her face. She has the rest of her life for that life. Right now I just want her to BE,” he wrote in part.
In June 2020, Warner posted a selfie with her on Facebook and wrote in the caption, “You have absolutely no idea. A love so profound that even a poet can’t find the words to describe it.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s daughter. Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Instagram
Warner said that he was so “proud” to be a dad.
In 2019, he posted several photos of his daughter enjoying herself by riding a horse, playing in a water fountain and singing him happy birthday. Warner added a lengthy caption under the rare snaps where he wrote about some of her funny sayings and how he changed after becoming a dad.
“My daughter killed us twice today. For her mid-morning snack, this 2 year old girl actually asked for…wait for it…freaking…hummus! And then 20 minutes later said to us, ‘I need self care sometimes,’ ” he wrote in part.
Warner added, “Often I find myself just staring at her and wondering where she came from. I wholeheartedly own that the parents she came from/chose are special spirits in our own right and we’ve passed onto her our spiritual and vibrational riches. I am proud that we have been able to provide a wonderful, loving, and spiritually enriching environment as a home base into which ALL babies should be born and thrive. But the spirit with which she entered this world is hers and hers alone.”
Warner also used the opportunity to thank his own mother, Pam, “for being such an incredible parent.”
“And we feel honored and blessed to be backed by a village of family and intimate friends to who love our daughter deeply and share in the honor our job to nurture, support, encourage, and protect her precious light. 🙏🏾,” he wrote, while adding that he was a “proud papa!”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner and daughter. Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Instagram
When Warner would share rare looks into his family life, it was often about holidays or birthdays.
In 2018, Warner posted a picture of his daughter wearing a blue bunny outfit for her first Easter. He wrote, “‘Merry Christmas Easter Bunny…’ Our daughter’s 1st Easter….’ Went to Ma Duke’s and had….Easter tacos! Anyone familiar with my mom’s tacos knows how special that is.”
Warner’s little one also celebrated other big days — including her mom’s birthdays. The actor shared several photos of the two of them baking his “very first cake” in April 2021.
“Our 3 year old daughter wanted us to make Mommy a chocolate strawberry birthday cake. So we made one together. From scratch. Almond flour, brown coconut sugar, organic cacao powder, coconut oil, you know, healthy-ish side of things. Made the strawberry buttercream frosting from scratch as well. Beginner’s luck? We’ll see, but that jawn was banging,” he captioned the Instagram photos.
In 2023, Warner posted a picture showing a heart box and a $5 bill that the Tooth Fairy gave his daughter in honor of her losing her first tooth.
“Man, kids these days got it poppin’ with the tooth fairy. I remember getting a quarter for my tooth. Lil mama lost her first tooth. She has a lil box for it. Her tooth fairy left $5, baby Lapiz Lazuli crystals, and a freaking note in response to the letter she wrote to her. Sheesh, these kids got it good,” he captioned the post.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner and daughter. Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Instagram
Warner shared a rare insight into his parenting when he shared an Instagram video of him rapping about powerful Black historical figures. He revealed in the caption that his daughter loved the song so much that she was already learning about their influence.
“I kept playing this video on loop and my daughter dug it,” he wrote in October 2022. “Soon I noticed her repeating names bc some of them she knew already. She bugged me out! So here is my first remix. I’m not really one for challenges, but l’ma get on this one right here. These are names worth knowing.”
