Inside ‘Cosby Show’ Alum Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Relationship History

For family members and loved ones, The Cosby Show alum Malcolm-Jamal Warner was so much more than Theodore Huxtable.

While the late actor appeared in the popular sitcom for all eight seasons from 1984 to 1992, Warner tried his best to keep his family and personal life away from the spotlight.

“My parents were separated when I was three. They got divorced when I was six,” Warner recalled in a rare interview with the “Hot & Bothered” podcast in June 2025. “My father has been remarried for 47 years, and my mother and father are like brother and sister. My whole life, they’ve had this close relationship and coparented very well.”

Warner died after he drowned off the coast of Costa Rica on Sunday, July 20, Costa Rican National Police told ABC News. He was 54. Warner’s official cause of death was asphyxia, police said.

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After Warner’s death was confirmed, fans learned that he left behind a wife and daughter. He chose not to publicly share their names during his life.

Keep reading to learn more about Warner’s wife and his relationship history:

Who Was Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Wife? 

Malcolm-Jamal Warner Paras Griffin/Getty Images

In a rare interview on the “Hot & Bothered” podcast, Warner gushed about his wife without revealing her full name.

“I was just really honest and frank and candid about everything,” he said when recalling his first date. “I wasn’t trying to smash.”

While he initially told his future wife that he didn’t want kids, everything changed five and a half months later.

“I said, ‘What do you think about starting a family?’” he shared. “At some point during this time, if I’m going to have a kid, this is the person I would like to have it with.”

Warner said he never second-guessed his decision.

“This feels right and this makes sense,” he said. “When people say, ‘When you know you know,’ that’s what that feeling is.”

Who Were Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Exes?

Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Regina King Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc

In March 2013, Us confirmed that Warner and Regina King had split after two years of dating.

“I believe the universe has a plan, and we probably wouldn’t have been ready years ago,” King told Parade in January 2012 about dating her longtime friend. “We both had to do whatever we had to do to be ready for each other now.”

Warner was also linked to actress Karen Malina White for several years.

During his appearance on the “Hot & Bothered” podcast, Warner discussed being in a long-term relationship that ultimately came to an end. (He did not share White’s name.)

“After being in a relationship for six years, I spent the next two years like a man who had been in a relationship for six years,” he said before making a big change. “I went on this hiatus. I was cold turkey.”

During his break, however, Warner met his wife through a mutual friend, and the rest is history.

Did Malcolm-Jamal Warner Date ‘The Cosby Show’ Costar Michelle Thomas? 

According to reports, Warner previously had a relationship with Thomas — who portrayed his girlfriend Justine Phillips on The Cosby Show. She later died in December 1998 after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.

“If there was ever an angel who walked amongst us mere mortals, this woman was it,” he wrote via Instagram in January 2015. “So powerful even her haters would have to agree. She lit up the room like she lit up the screen! R.I.P. my love. We miss you.”