Malcolm-Jamal Warner reveals the inner battle of The Cosby Show in HBO’s Seen & Heard documentary.
Memories revealed in Seen & Heard
Before his unfortunate passing in August 2025, Malcolm-Jamal Warner sat down for HBO’s two-part documentary Seen & Heard and shared memories of his early days.
The documentary covers the innovative journeys of black talent like Issa Rae, Oprah Winfrey, Tracee Ellis Ross and Shonda Rhimes, but Warner focuses on his groundbreaking work on The Cosby Show, which ran from 1984 to 1992.
The story of his audition at age 13
When Warner auditioned for the role of Theo Huxtable in front of Bill Cosby, he himself said, “I was tearing the room up.” Everyone was laughing, except Mr. Cosby.
He asked Warner, “Would you really talk to your dad like that?”
Warner admitted he doesn’t do that in real life and Cosby said, “Well, I don’t want to see that.”
That small moment set the tone for the show.
Cosby’s Battle to Save Vision
Warner says Bill Cosby found himself floating in the fire of a weekly feud between network producers and the studio.
“This is my brainchild,” Cosby would often say.
At every stage when creative talent tried to change the show’s look, Cosby stopped them one by one.
“The fight never ended until the show stopped,” Warner said.
A Handful of Letters from Fans
Over the nine-year run, Warner received hundreds of thousands of thank-you notes from fans.
“Thousands of people would write, ‘We are Huxtable,'” he recalled.
Though there was some criticism that the show didn’t reflect the truth of black culture, Warner believed the gratitude of customers made every feud worth it.
Questions and pride in legacy
The aftermath of Bill Cosby—the women’s accusations and legal battles—tarnished the show’s image, but Warner told PEOPLE, “Regardless of how people feel, I am proud to be a part of an iconic show that revolutionized black culture and American television.”
When to watch ‘Seen & Heard’?
Seen & Heard premieres September 9 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, with the second episode airing September 10 at the same time.
If you want to know the truth behind a piece of TV history, don’t miss Theo Huxtable’s first-hand account.