Phylicia Rashad has broken her silence about TV son, Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s death. On Sunday during the 2025 Emmy awards, the actress who famously played Claire Huxtable delivered a powerful tribute to the actor who played her son Theo on “The Cosby Show.”
“He was a beloved teenager in an iconic television series who the world watched grow into manhood,” Rashad said of Warner during the ceremony. “Like all our friends and colleagues who transitioned this past year, Malcolm-Jamal Warner remains in our hearts. Tonight, as is tradition at the Emmys, we remember them not just for their immense talent, but also for the way they made us believe in something bigger, the best that is within us.”
Warner died in a drowning accident in July at the age of 54 while on vacation with his wife and daughter. Most famously known for his role as Theo, Warner had an extensive portfolio that ranged from acting on hit shows like “The Resident” to powerful spoken word poetry and music.
“Even though they may not longer be here with us, we can all smile, knowing their impact will remain, knowing that their lasting impressions will continue to live on through story, knowing that they touched our lives,” Rashed added. “And whether you grew up watching them, or have just now discovered their brilliance, their light remains in the very fabric of our industry.”
The grace and wisdom Rashad showcased through her characters and her tribute is something Warner used to appreciate about the actress as their relationship flourished beyond the end of the popular 80s sitcom.
“I was having a struggle with hopelessness. You know, the world is just in a dark place,” Warner shared during an appearance on the Sherri Shepherd show. “I called Phylicia and I just asked her — she’s always grounded, always centered — so I said, ‘How do you deal with hopelessness? And she said, ‘Baby, you just have to remember that we’ve been here before.’ She said all this stuff we’re going through, we’ve been through some version of it. She said the light and the dark have to coexist. They always have, they always will. You can’t have the light without the dark. That really put things in perspective for me.”
Rashad’s Emmys tribute came shortly after Warner’s wife, Tenisha, made her first public statement since his passing, announcing plans to launch a company called River & Ember and the Malcolm-Jamal Warner Foundation.
“My husband believed in tending not only to the inner light of children, but in ourselves. This company carries forward that belief – offering stories and rituals that honor the quiet power of connection between parent and child. This work is a continuation of the presence that he embodied,” Tenisha Warner explained.
According to its website, the foundation is a creative legacy fund designed to support young artists who create from a place of freedom, truth, and originality. The foundation and its scholarships exist to honor the late actor’s truth while nurturing the next generation of poets, painters, musicians, performers, and interdisciplinary creators.
See Rashad’s full tribute below:
