Keshia Knight Pulliam Mourns ‘Cosby Show’ Co-Star Malcolm-Jamal Warner: ‘Lost My Big Brother’
Keshia Knight Pulliam is mourning her Cosby Show co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
A week after Warner’s tragic drowning death at age 54, Pulliam took to Instagram to express her grief.
“A week ago I lost my big brother but I gained an angel… I love you… I miss you… We got our girls,” she captioned the post, which included a video of Warner playing guitar during a performance at City Winery.
Keshia Knight Pulliam ‘needed a moment’ after Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s death
In a post on her Instagram Story, Pulliam thanked people for all the words of support she’d received since Warner died on July 20 while on a family trip to Costa Rica. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
“Thank you for every text, call, and all of the love that you have sent my way…,” she wrote. “I just needed a moment.”
Pulliam and Warner played siblings Rudy and Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, which aired from 1984 to 1992.
‘The Cosby Show’ stars mourn Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Pulliam is not the only member of the sitcom’s cast mourning Warner’s death. In an audio clip shared on her Instagram, Raven-Symoné, who played Theo and Rudy’s niece Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show, said she was feeling “surprise, sadness, and pain” after learning Warner had died.
“He was a big brother. He was a beacon. He was one of the most multi-faceted, talented men. So gentle,” an emotional Raven said. “And my heart and soul and hugs and kisses go out to his daughter, and his wife, and his mother. He gave the best advice. He gave the best hugs.And his smile will always be a huge bright f*cking white smile in my head forever. I love you and I know you’re watching over all of us now.”
Geoffrey Owens, who played Sondra Huxtable’s love interest Elvin Tibideaux, also paid tribute to Warner.
“This tragedy has almost left me speechless,” Geoffrey said in a statement shared with Deadline. “Malcolm was a lovely man; a sweet and sensitive soul. I respected him for many reasons, including the fact that he genuinely loved the act of creation. He had the mind of an actor and the heart of a musician.”
Cosby Show star and creator Bill Cosby also gave a rare interview following Warner’s death. The comedian – whose 2018 conviction on sexual assault charges was overturned in 2021 – said he had spoken with Phylicia Rashad, who played his on-screen wife Clair Huxtable, about the tragic news.
“We were embracing each other over the phone about a dearly beloved friend…,” Cosby told CBS News. “Malcolm was always embracing relationships with everybody he worked with.”
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