Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Net Worth at the Time of the 'Cosby Show' Star's Death

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Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Net Worth at the Time of the 'Cosby Show' Star's Death originally appeared on Parade.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s death by accidental drowning at the age of 54 leaves an enormous hole in the TV world (not to mention, of course, the lives of his loved ones). After breaking out as Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show at the age of 14, the actor went on to star in a number of series, including Malcolm & Eddie and The Resident, and he had guest arcs on more shows than you can count on two hands. He was a staple on TV for four decades, and that’s to say nothing of his work as a Grammy-winning musician as well.

Keep reading to find out how Warner got his start, what he earned along the way and his net worth at the time of his death.

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How did Malcolm-Jamal Warner get his start?

Raised in Jersey City, N.J., Malcolm-Jamal Warner started acting at the age of 9, attending various acting schools, including The Professional Children's School in New York City, and popping up on shows like Fame. His big break came when he was cast as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, although his initial audition didn’t impress Bill Cosby, the star of the show. Recalling his first try-out in an interview with NPR, Warner remembered playing the scene he was given in a “smart-alecky” way at first.

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“At that time, I was 13, and the kids that you see on television are precocious and smart-alecks and get the laughs,” he said. “... And I played those scenes [I was given] like you see kids on television — kind of smart-alecky, and when Cliff said something, I got my hand on my hips, and [I was] rolling my eyes. And I'm killing in the room. Everybody is laughing. … And I finish, and I look up, and Mr. Cosby is the only one who was unimpressed. …And he looks at me, he says, ‘Now, would you really talk to your father like that?’ And I said no. He said, ‘Well, I don't want to see that on this show.’” Warner returned to audition again, and “by the time I went back in, I gave them what has become Theo.”

Related: Fans Mourn Malcolm-Jamal Warner After Actor's Shocking Death at 54: 'My Gen X Heart Is Breaking'

How old was Malcolm-Jamal Warner on The Cosby Show?

Warner was 14 when the show premiered in 1984 and 22 by the time it ended in 1992. “Being a celebrity can be very intoxicating and very addicting,” Warner told NPR in 2014, acknowledging that many of his child-star peers went “wayward” over the years. “...The temptations were there, but there was also the understanding that when I'm out, I'm not only a reflection of my mother and my father, I'm also representing Mr. Cosby and his work. So, I definitely knew what my boundaries were.”

What was Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s net worth at the time of his death?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Warner’s net worth was $6 million at the time of his death on July 20, 2025. He earned the bulk of his money from his decades of work as a TV actor, as well as his career as a musician and small-screen director.

What did Malcolm-Jamal Warner make for The Cosby Show?

Warner’s salary on The Cosby Show is not public information, but he was presumably paid a good amount over the years — albeit far less than the adult stars of the show — given the show’s massive success and eventual move to syndication, which would have provided him with residuals (negotiated handsomely in that era of television).

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However, reruns of the sitcom were pulled from the air following Cosby’s sexual assault allegations —a ramification that hit Warner’s wallet in a big way. "It's literally taking money out of my pocket," Warner shared on an episode of The Real. "It personally affects me."

Although he did not go so far as to defend Cosby, Warner did reveal that he found the consequences imposed on his TV dad to be “unbalanced.”

"You just look at how the media is playing this whole thing out. And I can’t help but think about Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Stephen Collins," he said, referring to other stars who faced sexual assault allegations. “They were trying to take Mr. Cosby’s star off the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And I am in no position to defend him because I can’t. But nor will I throw him under the bus."

Related: Malcolm-Jamal Warner Made Heartbreaking Final Instagram Posts Before Death

What did Malcom-Jamal Warner get paid for Malcolm & Eddie?

Warner never disclosed his salary for Malcom & Eddie, which ran for four seasons from 1996 to 2000, but seeing as he was both a star of and producer on the series, he likely got paid more than he would have if he were just an actor on the show. But the role came with headaches. In an interview with PeopleTV’s Couch Surfing, he admitted that he didn’t always get along with his co-star Eddie Griffin, or the talent behind the series.

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“There was so much fighting that I did on this show, with writers, producers, the studio,” he said. “There was a particular vision they had for the show that was different from the vision I had for the show.”

What else was Malcolm-Jamal Warner in besides The Cosby Show?

A prolific television actor, Warner has been on a number of series besides The Cosby Show, including Malcolm & Eddie, Jeremiah, Sherri, Sons of Anarchy, Reed Between the Lines, American Crime Story, Suits and The Resident. He was also a producer and voice actor on The Magic School Bus, and a director on several shows, including The Cosby Show, All That and Kenan & Kel.

Did Malcolm-Jamal Warner put out an album?

Not only did he put out one album — he put out four. A proficient bass player, the actor released four records with his jazz/funk collective Miles Long, including:

The Miles Long Mixtape (2003)

Love & Other Social Issues (2007)

Selfless (2015)

Hiding in Plain View (2022)

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His final album scored a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album. (He actually won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2015, for his song “Jesus Children" with Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Lalah Hathaway. )

“The funny thing is that I picked the bass because I thought it was gonna be easy,” he told Ebony in 2023. “I was 26 when I first started playing, thinking it was the easiest instrument to play. When I was doing Malcolm & Eddie, it was stressing me out so much that I needed a hobby. I wanted to do something that I would never turn into a career [Laughs]. I figured with piano and guitar, you have to know chords and all that stuff so if I just played the bass, I'll be cool. Of course, as I really studied it, the bass player has to know chords and chord progressions. The chord is not officially a chord until the bass player makes it a chord.”

Did Malcolm-Jamal Warner win an Emmy?

He did not win an Emmy, but he was nominated for his work on The Cosby Show, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1986. He appeared on the series for the duration of its nearly 200-episode run.

Next: Remembering the Stars and Legends We’ve Lost in 2025

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Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Net Worth at the Time of the 'Cosby Show' Star's Death first appeared on Parade on Jul 21, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.