Malcolm-Jamal Warner Recalled Tension Behind the Scenes on “The Cosby Show ”Before His Death: ‘That Battle Never Stopped’

Before his tragic decease by drowning successful Costa Rica astatine property 54 successful July, The Cosby Show alum Malcolm-Jamal Warner shared immoderate memories astir moving connected nan landmark NBC sitcom from 1984 to 1992.

The character was interviewed for nan two-part HBO documentary Seen & Heard, which premieres Sept. 9 and 10. Executive produced by Issa Rae, nan documentary, which charts nan past, coming and early of Black talent and Black programming connected television, airs complete 2 nights, pinch nan first episode, "Seen," debuting connected HBO Sept. 9 astatine 9 p.m. ET and nan 2nd episode, "Heard," dropping nan pursuing time astatine nan aforesaid time.

Assorted Black creatives, including Oprah Winfrey, Tracee Ellis Ross, Debbie Allen, Shonda Rhimes, Tyler Perry and Rae herself look complete nan people of some episodes, arsenic does Warner, successful a conception focused connected The Cosby Show. He talks astir really a tense early relationship pinch Bill Cosby influenced his activity connected nan show.

"When I auditioned for Cosby, I was 13," recalls Warner, who played nan only Huxtable son, Theo. "I'd been watching, you know, Diff'rent Strokes and watching these kids connected tv beryllium smart alecks and what person you. That's what my acting had been influenced by."

The audition went good — aliases truthful he thought. "I mean, I killed successful nan room. I was getting nan laughs, and I'm 13, I'm sidesplitting successful nan room. And I vanished my audition, and everybody was smiling, isolated from Mr. Cosby, and he looked astatine me, and he said, 'Would you really talk to your begetter for illustration that?' And I said, 'No.' He said, 'Well, I don't want to spot that connected this show.' "

Throughout nan sitcom's run, Warner recalls, Cosby fought pinch executives complete nan reside of nan show arsenic he fought for it to enactment existent to his vision. "Mr. Cosby made definite that everyone was acutely alert The Cosby Show was his brainchild," Warner says. "But past you person these different creatives, you know, there's a web producer, writers, you know, workplace coming in, trying to show him really to do his show, and each measurement of nan way, Mr. Cosby had to extremity them and punctual them that's not nan show that we're doing."

It was a conflict Cosby had to costs and triumph complete and over. "I watched him do that from twelvemonth 1 to twelvemonth eight," Warner adds. "That conflict never, ne'er stopped, until nan show stopped."

For Warner, nan consequence from fans made nan effort worthwhile. "I was getting tens of thousands of letters from group who were saying, 'Thank you. Thank you for nan show. We are nan Huxtables,' and you know, and nan show evidently sewage criticized for not being Black enough, not being a existent depiction of nan achromatic experience," he says successful nan documentary.

Despite Cosby's bully intentions pinch his namesake sitcom, his ain actions would yet destruct his estimation and tarnish nan show's legacy. After a number of women came guardant and accused him of intersexual battle complete nan span of decades, he faced charges of drugging and sexually assaulting 1 of his accusers, was convicted successful 2018 and sentenced to up to 10 years successful prison. He was released successful 2021 aft serving astir 3 years because a erstwhile territory lawyer had made a non-prosecution statement pinch Cosby successful speech for his grounds successful a civilian lawsuit against him.

In 2023, Warner told PEOPLE that Cosby's ineligible troubles and nan 88 twelvemonth old's persona non grata position successful Hollywood didn't alteration nan measurement he viewed nan show that made him a kid star.

“Regardless of really immoderate group whitethorn consciousness astir nan show now," he said, "I’m still proud of nan bequest and having been a portion of specified an iconic show that had specified a profound effect connected — first and foremost, Black civilization — but besides American culture."

The first section of Seen & Heard premieres connected HBO Sept. 9 astatine 9 p.m. ET. Part 2 debuts Sept. 10 astatine 9 p.m. ET.