Malcolm-Jamal Warner Says The Cosby Show Is Now ‘Tarnished’

1 minute read

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Bill Cosby’s son Theo on The Cosby Show, says the TV program’s legacy is now “tarnished” in the wake of dozens of sexual assault allegations against his mentor.

Warner told the Associated Press that no matter what negative stereotypes about people of color appeared on other shows and movies, “we’ve always had The Cosby Show to hold up against that. And the fact that we no longer have that, that’s the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale.”

This is not the first time the actor has spoken on the subject; in January, he said it was “just as painful” to watch Cosby go through this situation as it is “to hear any woman talk about sexual assault.”

Cosby has not been charged with any crime.

[AP]

See the Cast of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'

Will Smith
Will Smith as William SmithNBC/Getty Images; Jeffrey Mayer—WireImage/Getty Images
Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton BanksNBC/Getty Images; ABC/Getty Images
James Avery
James Avery, who died in 2013, as Philip Banks NBC/Getty Images; Jason Merritt—Getty Images
Tatyana Ali
Tatyana Ali as Ashley BanksNBC/Getty Images; Michael Tran—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Jane Hubert
Janet Hubert as Vivian Banks from 1990-1993Joseph Del Valle—NBC/Getty Images; Johnny Nunez—WireImage/Getty Images
Daphne Reid
Daphne Reid as Vivian Banks from 1993-1996Chris Haston—NBC/Getty Images; Michael Tran—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Ross Bagley
Ross Bagley as Nicky BanksRon Galella—WireImage/Getty Images; Gabriel Olsen—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Joseph Marcell
Joseph Marcell as Geoffrey ButlerPaul Drinkwater—NBC/Getty Images; Richard Shotwell—Invision/AP
Jeffrey A. Townes
Jeffrey A. Townes as JazzAlice S. Hall—NBC/Getty Images; Gary Gershoff—WireImage/Getty Images
Karyn Parsons
Karyn Parsons as Hilary BanksGary Null—NBC/Getty Images; Dave Kotinsky—Getty Images
Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks as Jackie AmesNBC/Getty Images; David Livingston—Getty Images
Nia Long
Nia Long as Lisa WilkesNBC/Getty Images; Stefanie Keenan—Getty Images

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com