Malcolm-Jamal Warner's life left a profound impact on those around him -- something "The Breakfast Club" can attest to ... the late 'Cosby Show' actor was their current studio's first guest!!!
00:00Everyone's mourning the loss of Michael Jamal Warner.
00:04I think I'm gonna start with Charlotte.
00:07Did you know him personally?
00:10I'm sure you've interviewed him a ton of times.
00:13No, I only interviewed him twice.
00:14No way.
00:14Actually, he was the first when we moved into this new studio here for
00:18The Breakfast Club.
00:19He was the first interview that we had in the new studio back in January 2023.
00:23So I only met him twice.
00:24And that was the couple of times we interviewed him over the past couple of years.
00:27I'm assuming you guys both grew up watching The Cosby Show.
00:30Absolutely.
00:31That was one of the very first family shows that I got to watch every night.
00:36So yeah, I grew up with Malcolm Jamal Warner on my TV.
00:39So he was like a brother.
00:41He was like, you know what I mean?
00:42Right.
00:42I mean, I know that like at once upon a time, I believe they were trying to like
00:46kind of do away with The Cosby Show episodes.
00:49Do you think that we're going to see a resurgence of people trying to find those
00:52episodes by them?
00:54You're damn right.
00:54I'm about to go watch some now.
00:56Well, I never stopped watching The Cosby Show, but things like this just refresh those
01:01memories in your mind.
01:02You know what I mean?
01:03Right.
01:04Of course.
01:05I think what people need to be focusing on is Malcolm Jamal Warner, the man.
01:08You know, I hate when I see people out here talking about rest in peace, Steele.
01:11Like that was a real man, a real husband, a real father.
01:16He had a real family that he spoke about often.
01:18You know, I think about him coming on The Breakfast Club, talking about how his father used to pour
01:22and bring more greatness into him, but now his father, you know, has to bury him.
01:25And just as a dad, you know, it is different because all he was doing was literally what
01:31fathers do.
01:32You're on vacation with your family and something like something tragic like that happens, man.
01:36It makes me think of the Colby situation because it's the same thing with Colby.
01:39You know, Colby was just out doing extra extracurricular activities with his daughter.
01:43And, you know, that happens, you know, and it's the same thing with Malcolm.
01:47You're just out with your family on vacation and something tragic like that happens.
01:50But it makes you realize you got to appreciate life every day, man, because you just never know.
01:54Right.
01:55So people should not be saying rest in peace, Steele.
01:58No.
01:59No, because he was way more than that.
02:01Although that was how I was introduced to him and a lot of us were introduced to him.
02:05He went on to do other things, great things.
02:07And then, you know, he surpassed just one character, you know, that he played, but for sure.
02:12And you've seen interviews where he said, I don't want to be known as Malcolm Jamal wanted an actor.
02:17I want to be known as Malcolm Jamal wanted a man.
02:19So that's the reason I'm happy that he had a podcast.
02:22I'm happy he's done, you know, interviews like The Breakfast Club.
02:25I wish he would have left us with a book or something.
02:27But, you know, that's why everybody out there, man, if you got the opportunity to tell you a story, tell it.
02:31You know, be the author of your own story.
02:34Let it come from your own words because you just truly, truly never know, man.
02:37Lastly, yesterday, one of my colleagues, Jerika Duncan, was able to get Bill Cosby on the phone.
02:43She spoke to him.
02:45Is it good to hear from Mr. Cosby?
02:47Is it refreshing to hear him kind of make a statement?
02:50You know, he's been a little quiet after everything that happened.
02:53Does this change the legacy a little bit, kind of?
02:56Change the legacy of what?
02:57I mean, I think that there was kind of a negative light, mainly on him, not on the Cosby show per se.
03:03Right.
03:03But now that he has to come publicly and be a human and, you know, talk about this, are you happy to hear from him?
03:10A lot of people in the comments were saying, wow, I'm happy to hear from him, happy that he's okay, happy to see that, you know.
03:16Well, he's a human every day, you know what I mean?
03:19And then I know that a lot of Malcolm Jamal Warner's, you know, character on the show was accredited to Bill Cosby, you know what I mean?
03:29We just heard something where he said, Malcolm Jamal Warner said his dad told him that Bill Cosby made him immortal or something, gave him immorality, you know.
03:39That's how, you know, so, but yeah, I think, I thought it was nice to hear him talk about Malcolm Jamal Warner the way he did, because he looked at him like a son, you know.
03:48Right.
03:48It was more than just a role to him, I'm sure, you know, so yeah.
03:52Things are nuanced, man.
03:53You can't erase what people have done.
03:55We all grew up on the Cosby show.
03:57You know, I grew up with Jehovah Witness, so on Thursday nights, I used to have to put that VCR tape in that, you know, VHS, that VHS tape in that VCR and record Cosby's show and come back and watch it.
04:06We were dedicated to it, so we're all lying.
04:09We want to, I want to hear from all of them.
04:10I want to hear from Bill.
04:11I want to hear from Felicia.
04:12Right.
04:12I want to hear from Lisa.
04:13I want to hear from Tempest.
04:15I want to hear from Keisha Naipolium.
04:17I want to hear from everybody.
04:18Everybody that ever worked with him.
04:20I would love to hear from all of them, so, you know, when you ask me, it doesn't feel refreshing.
04:24It just feels like something that's supposed to happen.
04:26Yeah.
04:26I would think something was wrong if I didn't hear from, you know, Bill Cosby at a time like this.
