Malcolm-Jamal Warner (left) and Bill Cosby on ‘The Cosby Show’. Credit :

Nbc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

• Malcolm-Jamal Warner has acknowledged that The Cosby Show was a project of which he was incredibly proud — but has also been open about its legacy in light of the allegations made against Bill Cosby
• Warner has said the show “had such a profound impact on — first and foremost, Black culture — but also American culture”
• Warner died at the age of 54, with a source confirming to PEOPLE that the actor was in Costa Rica on a family vacation and drowned while swimming

Malcolm-Jamal Warner was “very proud” of his iconic role on The Cosby Show, but often acknowledged that the show’s legacy was changed due to the allegations made against its star, Bill Cosby.

Warner died on July 20 at the age of 54, with a source confirming to PEOPLE that the actor was in Costa Rica on a family vacation and drowned while swimming.

The actor was best known for playing Theo Huxtable, the only son of Cosby’s character, Heathcliff Huxtable, in the sitcom from 1984 to 1992.

In 2018, more than 60 women came forward with varying allegations against Cosby, 88. He was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault following Andrea Constand testifying that he had drugged and sexually assaulted her in his Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, home in 2004.

Sentenced to three to 10 years, Cosby served more than two years of that sentence before his conviction was overturned in 2021 due to a judge finding that an agreement he’d made with a previous prosecutor voided his case. However, five more women later accused him of sexual assault.

Cosby’s defense has denied all allegations made against him.

Shortly after the allegations against Cosby became public in 2015, Warner called them “painful,” adding that Cosby was one of his mentors.

“He’s one of my mentors, and he’s been very influential and played a big role in my life as a friend and mentor,” Warner told Billboard at the time. “Just as it’s painful to hear any woman talk about sexual assault, whether true or not, it’s just as painful to watch my friend and mentor go through this.”

Warner added:“I can’t really speak on any of the allegations because obviously, I was not there. 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.”

Bill Cosby (left) and Malcolm-Jamal Warner on ‘The Cosby Show’. Alamy

“We share a unique experience that keeps us lovingly bonded no matter how much time goes between seeing or hearing from each other,” he added at the time.

At the time, he also acknowledged the impact on the show amid the allegations made against Cosby.

“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,” Warner said.

Acknowledging a recent uptick in show reboots, Warner said, “We could have made a lot of money. Fuller House, they’re doing their thing.The Conners, man, we’d be making a killing right now.”

Asked by Hill if he was “resentful” because “one person impacted you guys’ lives and the way this show was seen,” Warner responded: “No. Not resentment … I get how this business works, for one. And just that whole situation is so layered, man.”

“I can’t defend him or his actions at all. But I also can’t throw him under the bus completely,” Warner added. “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. There is the piece of the financial hit that we all took but also it hasn’t really affected my career.”

Warner added that he and his team “set up this life after the show so my life would not have to be dependent upon that show or dependent upon Theo.”

Malcolm-Jamal Warner (left) and Bill Cosby. Alberto Rodriguez/Variety/Getty; Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty

Warner was also well known for his role as Alex Reed on Reed Between the Lines, which he starred in alongside Tracee Ellis Ross from 2011 to 2015.

Even with the success he saw outside the show, though, Warner told Hill “it truly sucked to watch the ship go down the way it went down.”

“I understand why some people can’t watch the show — but the show is the show,” he added in his interview with Hill. “This was such a timeless show. It’s an iconic show. An important show. The effect that it had on Black people worldwide can never be taken away, right?. There’s still so much to be proud of in terms of that legacy. But at the same time, I had moved on a long time ago.”

He continued: “Even if none of this went down, we probably still wouldn’t have done a reboot. Because even like what Mr. Cosby said, we said everything that we had to say. So I don’t know that that lane would have even been a viable lane regardless.”

During the episode, Warner said of Cosby: “He would work Monday through Thursday on the show, hop on a plane and do stand-up Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights, then be back to work first thing Monday.”

“This is while having the number one show in the world. And I watched that and it made me understand — when you are hot, that’s when you grind,” he said. “So, in the times where things aren’t so hot, I got my chips stacked, I don’t have to go out and make desperate acting choices cause I gotta pay my bills.”

“I really learned a lot from watching him and I’ve also learned a lot — like the way the show has affected people, it’s affected me in a lot of ways too,” he added.

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Warner is survived by a wife and daughter, whose identities he opted to keep private.