Malcolm-Jamal Warner Remembered as a Man of Faith, Family and Purpose
For most Americans, Malcolm-Jamal Warner will be remembered as Theo Huxtable, the witty, warm-hearted son on The Cosby Show who grew up on-screen and captured the hearts of a generation. But to those who knew him best, Warner was a man of faith who valued purpose over fame and used his platform to make the world a better place. He even became an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church to officiate a friend's wedding.
Warner died July 20 when he tragically drowned off the coast of Costa Rica during a family vacation. He was 54.
Although Warner is best known for the role he portrayed as a teenager and young adult, he had plenty of high-profile roles in his later years, including The Resident (2018-2023), Suits (2016-2017), and Reed Between the Lines (2011-2015).
Warner was a vocal advocate for the Black community, using his Not All Hood podcast, public speaking, and social media to challenge stereotypes and champion excellence.
"Though Warner was never outspoken in a traditional religious sense, his life and words revealed a deep and personal relationship with Jesus Christ," Beliefnet reported. "He frequently shared on social media the importance of treating others with compassion, humility, and love -- values he said were rooted in Christ's teachings."
He kept his family out of the limelight, but often discussed his daughter and his hope for her future, without giving her name or age.
Warner was also an accomplished musician. In 2015, he won a Grammy for a collaboration on Stevie Wonder's Jesus Children. In 2023, he was nominated for a Grammy for Hiding in Plain View, a spoken-word poetry album.
He was critical of much of mainstream hip-hop.
"When you listen to the hip-hop that gets the exposure -- conscious hip-hop isn't getting exposure," he said. "The messages in hip-hop that get the exposure are misogyny, murder, mayhem, and disrespect of fellow Black people. That's not all of the hip-hop that exists, right? [But] you can't have a popular hip-hop song without using the N-word. Our Black music has somehow become anti-Black, and has been so normalized that it gets right by us. In all of my poetry, I constantly talk about my love-hate relationship with hip-hop."
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Santiago Felipe/Contributor
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published July 22, 2025.
