Inside Malcolm-Jamal Warner's split from Regina King and death of longtime love following his shock passing
The Cosby Show alum died in Costa Rica on Sunday, after drowning while swimming off the coast, according to local authorities who spoke with ABC News.
Before his passing, Warner navigated a life filled with both significant Hollywood achievements and profound personal heartbreaks.
He previously had a very public relationship with actress Regina King, 54, whom he dated from 2011 to 2013.
Their relationship came to an abrupt end when Warner reportedly blindsided King by ending their two-year partnership.
He also suffered loss when his longtime love Michelle Thomas, known for her role as Justine Phillips on The Cosby Show, passed away from cancer four years after their split.
In March, King took to Twitter to deny any relationship issues with Warner.
'Hey everybody PLEASE don't believe everything you read. Me & MalcolmJamalWar are good. Life happens. Forward motion. Godspeed,' she wrote.
However, in 2015 she revealed that one of her famous exes broke up with her on Valentine's Day, while speaking with Us Weekly in 2015, hinting that it was Warner.
'Someone broke up with me on Valentine's. Yeah. I'm serious,' she said.
'Then he actually sent me flowers that said, "I still love you," and I threw the flowers in the trash, and he was upset that I threw them in the trash, and I was like, 'F*** you."'
'I love flowers, but he thought that was right. What an a**, right?'
King suggested that Warner was the ex, hinting that fans would 'know' who she was referring to.
Prior to their split, Warner called his romance with King 'very special.'
'We like to protect what we have because it's very special and very precious,' he told BET in October 2011, according to New York Daily News.
'But I will say that it's a relationship that makes all the sense in the world.'
The actor also dated Michelle, known for her role as Justine Phillips, his onscreen girlfriend on The Cosby Show.
Their relationship lasted from 1988 to 1994. The two remained friends following their split.
Tragically, Thomas passed away on December 23, 1998, at the age of 30, due to a rare form of cancer, four years after their split.
In 2015 he shared a loving tribute to her on Instagram, writing, 'If there was ever an angel who walked amongst us mere mortals, this woman was it. 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.
'Then he actually sent me flowers that said, "I still love you," and I threw the flowers in the trash, and he was upset that I threw them in the trash, and I was like, 'F*** you,"' the actress shared; Warner pictured 2023
Warner went on to have a seven-year relationship with Karen Malina White, before his relationship with Regina.
Warner later found love with his wife, with whom he shares an eight-year-old daughter, though he chose not to publicly share their names during his life.
They were together for 10 years.
He made rare comments about his wife on the Hot & Bothered podcast last month.
'If something happened and we weren't together romantically, she would still be the person that I would want to raise a child with,' he said.
'We've been together almost 10 years and we have never had a fight, an argument, a raised voice or a harsh word said to one another…. And it's not like we agree on everything,' he added.
On Monday, the Costa Rican National Police reported that Warner's body was discovered near Cocles, a beach in the Limon province.
He was reportedly caught by a strong current, and his official cause of death has been listed as asphyxia.
While the exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, experts note that some beaches in Costa Rica can pose serious risks depending on conditions.
Though many areas are safe for swimming, others are known for powerful currents and rip tides that demand caution.
Warner was best known for his iconic role as Theodore Huxtable, the only son of Cliff Huxtable, on the beloved NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. He appeared in all eight seasons from 1984 to 1992, earning widespread acclaim and becoming a household name.
At the time, Warner was just a teenager, but his performance earned widespread acclaim, including a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 1986 Primetime Emmy Awards.
His character, Theo, was based on Bill Cosby's real-life son, Ennis Cosby, and was portrayed with depth and sensitivity.
In the show, Theo is diagnosed with dyslexia after struggling academically during his freshman year at New York University—an arc that resonated with many viewers.
Beyond The Cosby Show, Warner carved out a successful and diverse career in both comedy and drama.
He starred as Malcolm McGee in the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000) opposite Eddie Griffin, and later headlined BET's Reed Between the Lines from 2011 to 2015 as Dr. Alex Reed.
His television credits also included recurring roles and guest appearances on shows like Sons of Anarchy, Jeremiah, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Community. Warner also voiced the Producer character on the educational children's series The Magic School Bus.
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