Malcolm Jamal Warner Weighs in on 'Painful' Bill Cosby Allegations

By Christine Thomasos, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, January 22, 2015

Malcolm Jamal Warner has admitted that it's painful to hear the sexual assault allegations brought against his television dad from "The Cosby Show."

Warner, the 44-year-old actor, looked to comedian Bill Cosby as a mentor and did not shy away from speaking about his positive contributions to the community recently to Billboard. Warner starred as the television son Theo Huxtable alongside Bill Cosby in the hit 1980s and 1990s family sitcom, "The Cosby Show."

While the last few months have been filled with allegations and lawsuits from over 20 women who claim Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted them over the span of 50 years, Warner admitted he cannot go into detail about his thoughts on the matter.

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"I can't really speak on any of the allegations because obviously, I was not there," he told Billboard. "The Bill Cosby I know has been great to me and great for a lot of people. I can't speak on the other stuff."

While Warner spoke about the comedian's "invaluable" contributions to television, comedy and the black community, he admitted that it wasn't easy to witness what the "legendary" comedian was being accused of publicly.

"Just as it's painful to hear any woman talk about sexual assault, whether true or not, it's just as painful to watch my friend and mentor go through this," Warner said.

He is not the only cast member of the beloved family sitcom to speak up about the matter.

Phylicia Rashad, the 66-year-old Tony Award-winning actress, insisted she did not want to "become part of the public debate" when speaking to Roger Friedman from ShowBiz 411, but might have managed to do just that when speaking up about the Bill Cosby scandal.

Rashad starred as wife Clair Huxtable on "The Cosby Show." She said she still believes in her former television husband despite the growing number of allegations mounting against him.

"This is not about the women. This is about something else," Rashad told Showbiz411 and ABC News. "This is about the obliteration of legacy."