Latest news with #1980s
CNN
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Losing Malcolm-Jamal Warner is losing family, says Van Jones
The loss of Malcolm-Jamal Warner is devastating. For millions of us, especially those of us who grew up Black in America during the 1980s, he wasn't just an actor. He was family. He was possibility. He was hope. Before Barack and Michelle Obama entered the White House, we had the Huxtables. Before college tours or career fairs, we had Theo. And for me — and for so many other young Black men — he was the first person we saw on TV who looked like us, lived like us, and was expected to become something great, not despite being Black, but while fully owning it. When The Cosby Show premiered, it was revolutionary. Not because it had Black characters — that had been done before — but because it showed a Black family thriving. Cliff was a doctor. Clair was a lawyer. They were raising smart, funny, ambitious kids. And in the middle of it all was Theo, the every-kid: imperfect, relatable, learning life's lessons with charm and humility. That mattered. It mattered because, for decades, portrayals of Black people on television were painfully narrow: butlers, maids, addicts, criminals, punchlines. But Theo wasn't any of that. He was a teenager with dreams, a good heart, and two parents who demanded excellence. The image of a middle-class Black household striving together on national TV was so new, so powerful, that it drew tens of millions of viewers a week. It helped shift the national imagination. And it shifted mine. I had two professional parents. I wasn't living in a junkyard like on Sanford and Son or hustling like The Jeffersons. I saw my story in Theo's. He made me feel seen — and not alone. But Malcolm-Jamal Warner didn't stop with Theo. He went on to build a thoughtful, artistic, and courageous career. He didn't chase cheap fame. He didn't trade dignity for ratings. Instead, he used his platform to speak up about mental health, about nuance in the Black experience, about our full humanity. He invited honesty into a culture that too often demands invincibility. And he did it all with class. With grace. With quiet, unwavering strength. That kind of consistency is rare in Hollywood — or anywhere. Malcolm weathered the pressures of child stardom with integrity. While so many struggled under the spotlight, he matured, grew and gave back. His work — from Malcolm & Eddie to his Grammy-winning music to his podcast — always carried a message: we are complex, we are diverse, we are worthy. His passing hits hard. For those of us in our 40s, 50s, even early 60s, this feels like losing a brother. He represented an era when we had shared cultural touchstones, when families across the country sat down at the same time to laugh, learn, and witness something groundbreaking. And yes, The Cosby Show has become complicated by the fall of its patriarch. But the contributions of its cast, especially its young stars, endure. Lisa Bonet. Tempestt Bledsoe. Keshia Knight Pulliam. And Malcolm. They carried that show's legacy forward — not with scandal, but with substance. They embodied the excellence it promised. It's okay to mourn this loss loudly. It's not 'playing the race card' to remember how stunningly rare it once was to see a Black kid on TV who wasn't in chains or trouble. It was a revelation. It was dignity in primetime. Malcolm-Jamal Warner gave us that, and so much more. He started high. And he went higher. May we honor him not just by remembering Theo, but by continuing the conversations he sparked, the truths he told, and the humanity he championed. Rest in power, brother.
National Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo on 'Cosby Show', dies in Costa Rica drowning
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who as teenage son Theo Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show' was central to a cultural phenomenon that helped define the 1980s, died at 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, authorities there said Monday. Article content Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Department said Warner drowned Sunday afternoon on a beach on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. He was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean. Article content Article content 'He was rescued by people on the beach,' the department's initial report said, but first responders from Costa Rica's Red Cross found him without vital signs and he was taken to the morgue. Article content Warner created many TV moments etched in the memories of Generation X children and their parents, including a pilot-episode argument with Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable about money, and another episode where Theo tries to hide his ear piercing from his dad. His Theo was the only son among four daughters in the household of Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad's Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom, and he would be one of the prime representations of American teenage boyhood on a show that was the most popular in America for much of its run from 1984 to 1992. Article content He played the role for eight seasons, appearing in each of the show's 197 episodes and earning an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy in 1986. For many the lasting image of the character, and of Warner, is of him wearing a badly botched mock designer shirt sewed by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet. The 'Gordon Gartrell' shirt later became a memeable image: Anthony Mackie wore one on 'The Tonight Show' with Jimmy Fallon and the profile picture on Warner's Instagram shows a toddler sporting one. Article content Article content NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson was among those giving tribute Monday. Johnson said on X that he and his wife are sad to hear of the death of their friend. Article content 'We were both super fans of the hit 'Cosby Show' and continued to follow his career on shows like 'Malcolm and Eddie' and 'The Resident,'' Johnson said. 'Every time I ran into Malcolm, we would have deep and fun conversations about basketball, life, and business. He will truly be missed.' Article content Article content Like the rest of the 'Cosby Show' cast, Warner had to contend with the sexual assault allegations against its titular star, whose conviction in a Pennsylvania court was later overturned. Article content Warner told The Associated Press in 2015 that the show's legacy was 'tarnished.' Article content 'My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film,' Warner said. 'We've always had 'The Cosby Show' to hold up against that. And the fact that we no longer have that, that's the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale.'
Arab News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, ‘Cosby Show' actor, dies at 54 in Costa Rica drowning
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica: Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who as teenage son Theo Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show,' was central to a cultural phenomenon that helped define the 1980s, died at age 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, authorities there said Monday. Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Department said Warner drowned Sunday afternoon on a beach on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. He was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean. 'He was rescued by people on the beach,' the department's initial report said, but first responders from Costa Rica's Red Cross found him without vital signs and he was taken to the morgue. Warner created many TV moments etched in the memories of Generation X children and their parents, including a pilot-episode argument with Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable about money, and another episode where Theo tries to hide his ear piercing from his dad. His Theo was the only son among four daughters in the household of Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad's Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom, and he would be one of the prime representations of American teenage boyhood on a show that was the most popular in America for much of its run from 1984 to 1992. He played the role for eight seasons, appearing in each of the show's 197 episodes and earning an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy in 1986. For many the lasting image of the character, and of Warner, is of him wearing a badly botched mock designer shirt sewed by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet. The 'Gordon Gartrell' shirt later became a memeable image: Anthony Mackie wore one on 'The Tonight Show' with Jimmy Fallon and the profile picture on Warner's Instagram shows a toddler sporting one. NBA hall-of-famer Magic Johnson was among those giving tribute Monday. Johnson said on X that he and his wife are sad to hear of the death of their friend. 'We were both super fans of the hit 'Cosby Show' and continued to follow his career on shows like 'Malcolm and Eddie' and 'The Resident,'' Johnson said. 'Every time I ran into Malcolm, we would have deep and fun conversations about basketball, life, and business. He will truly be missed.' Like the rest of the 'Cosby Show' cast, Warner had to contend with the sexual assault allegations against its titular star, whose conviction in a Pennsylvania court was later overturned. Warner told The Associated Press in 2015 that the show's legacy was 'tarnished.' 'My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film,' Warner said. 'We've always had 'The Cosby Show' to hold up against that. And the fact that we no longer have that, that's the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale.' Representatives for Cosby declined immediate comment. Warner worked steadily as an actor for more than 40 years. His first major post-'Cosby' role came on the sitcom 'Malcolm & Eddie,' co-starring with comedian Eddie Griffin in the popular series on the defunct UPN network from 1996 to 2000. 'My heart is heavy right now,' Griffin said on Instagram Monday. 'Rest easy my brother for you have Won in life and now you have won forever eternal bliss..' In the 2010s, he starred opposite Tracee Ellis Ross as a family-blending couple for two seasons on the BET sitcom 'Read Between The Lines.' He also had a role as O.J. Simpson's friend Al Cowlings on 'American Crime Story' and was a series regular on Fox's 'The Resident.' 'First I met you as Theo with the rest of the world then you were my first TV husband,' Ross said on Instagram. 'My heart is so so sad. What an actor and friend you were: warm, gentle, present, kind, thoughtful, deep, funny, elegant.' Warner's film roles included the 2008 rom-com 'Fool's Gold' with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. A poet and a musician, Warner was a Grammy winner, for best traditional R&B performance, and was nominated for best spoken word poetry album for 'Hiding in Plain View.' Warner also worked as a director, helming episodes of 'Malcolm & Eddie,' 'Read Between the Lines,' 'Kenan & Kel,' and 'All That.' Warner was born in 1970 in Jersey City, New Jersey. His mother, Pamela Warner, reportedly named him after Malcolm X and jazz pianist Jamal. She served as his manager when he began pursuing acting at age 9. In the early 1980s, he made guest appearances on the TV shows 'Matt Houston' — his first credit — and 'Fame.' Warner was 13 when he landed the role of Theo in an audition after a broad search for the right child actor. Cosby was a major star at the time, and the show was certain to be widely seen, but few could've predicted the huge, yearslong phenomenon it would become. He had been married for about 10 years with a daughter about 5 years old, but chose to not publicly disclose their names. Warner's representatives declined immediate comment on his death. His final credits came in TV guest roles, including appearances on 'The Wonder Years,' 'Grown-ish,' and '9-1-1,' where he had a four-episode arc last year. 'I grew up with a maniacal obsession with not wanting to be one of those 'where are they now kids,'' Warner told the AP in 2015. 'I feel very blessed to be able to have all of these avenues of expression ... to be where I am now and finally at a place where I can let go of that worry about having a life after 'Cosby.''
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Memories of my magical mix tape summer
Re your article ('I threw it in the bin with everything else he gave me': the mix tapes that defined our lives, 16 July), a boy called Richard (very handsome and funny, although endearingly modest and shy) pushed a cassette through my door during the summer of 1983 when we were both about 17 or 18 and 'just friends'. It featured the song You To Me Are Everything by The Real Thing. He made me laugh so much and I was definitely in love with him, but I think neither of us knew quite how to act on our feelings. The line 'To you I guess I'm just a clown who picks you up each time you're down' struck me at the time as being a reference to how much he made me laugh, but now I realise that it was probably a plea to take him seriously. I've just turned 60 and heard the song played recently. It stopped me in my tracks, transporting me right back to that gorgeous, magical summer of laughter and flirting that somehow never became anything more. And all the more magical for that I and address supplied To make a mix tape was an art form. There were only between 30 and 45 minutes each side, which required a good knowledge of the tracks to be put on to each one. Following that, how do you get the attention of the audience? Starting with a banger and trying to hold that for a couple more songs before easing off a bit. Towards the end of each side it was vital not to cut off any song but, if possible, to fade out. Even better if the tracks were finished just at the right moment before the tape ran out. A mix tape was a work of art, a work of love. You had to know your audience, your music and had to time it perfectly. I'm an avid lover of this lost art WagnerBoulogne-Billancourt, France Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Forbes
7 days ago
- Forbes
The Psychology Of AI Transformation
Kamales Lardi, CEO of Lardi & Partner Consulting, is a digital transformation leader, leveraging neuroscience and human-tech psychology. In the 1980s, I distinctly remember a wave of fear surrounding the use of microwave ovens. There were numerous stories about how "nuking" food with microwave ovens was removing nutrients from it, or even worse, causing food to become radioactive. Decades of research have disproved these claims, proving that microwave energy changes to heat as it is absorbed by food, and does not make it radioactive or contaminated. Today, although microwave ovens have become a staple in most households, fears and anxieties surrounding their use still exist. Fresh waves of anxiety and fear often accompany innovation and new technologies; we fear what we do not fully understand or control. When Progress Triggers Panic In the current digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) represents the ultimate technology innovation that could transform every aspect of our lives. Although research and development in AI have existed since the 1950s, it is only in recent years that we have seen the technology truly accelerate and the potential for it to outpace us. AI anxiety, as it is increasingly being recognized, is the anxiousness and fear caused by the rapid growth of AI and technological development. In research conducted by Calm, a guided meditation platform, nearly one in three adults (29%) feel anxious about AI, while over 18% characterize their feelings as fear or dread. While AI transformations often focus on data, platforms, system integrations and upskilling, leadership teams need to understand and prioritize the psychological impacts of AI that can make or break its adoption in organizations. Fear Of Obsolescence As humans, we are driven by a primal survival instinct of self-preservation and to sustain life. In the modern age, this is closely linked to the work we do, our professional identities and the ability to earn a living. Threats to these instincts trigger the well-known fight-or-flight reaction that is hardwired in our brain. The rise of AI adoption in the workplace not only disrupts the traditional ways of working but also threatens our sense of identity, professional worth and livelihood. As AI takes over routine tasks, some employees may struggle to find purpose in their jobs, particularly experienced professionals who were previously defined by their efficiency and depth of technical knowledge. In an organizational setting, this fear could be detrimental to transformation, as people resist the adoption of new technology solutions by downplaying their value, avoiding upskilling and even sabotaging change efforts. It is therefore critical for leadership teams to understand that fear of obsolescence is a natural part of the transformation process and to address these fears openly and empathetically. The message to teams should be clear: AI will augment human capabilities, and not replace them. Loss Of Control And Autonomy Autonomy is a fundamental aspect of psychological well-being. The lack of control or autonomy may result in increased cortisol levels (stress hormone), feeling powerless, emotional exhaustion and decision paralysis. On the flipside, creating a sense of autonomy is a core element of motivation that can drive positive behavior change and engagement. Organizations are increasingly adopting AI-based technologies in roles that involve judgment or discretion. For teams working with these intelligent systems, it may feel like handing over decisions to machines and a loss of individual agency. This situation is compounded by the "black box" effect of AI, where the internal workings of the system and processes attributed to creating outputs are not fully transparent or understood by humans. For sophisticated decision systems, the outputs may be complex and opaque, requiring specific upskilling for employees to understand, interact with and take action on. Additionally, outputs and recommendations may be consistent or biased, creating a trust gap as teams hesitate to rely on AI in a meaningful way. To counter this, it is critical to design and implement AI-based systems that are explainable, transparent and governed by human oversight. When people understand how outputs are being developed and retain the ability to override or contextualize them, they are more likely to trust and embrace AI. Cognitive Overload And Fatigue AI transformations have an organization-wide impact, often coming on top of other digital initiatives, new ways of working, upskilling and reskilling initiatives and organizational shifts. This creates a complex environment with many layers of change and a level of uncertainty that could last months or even years. The resulting cognitive overload and fatigue may cause people to disengage, resist change or even burn out entirely. Additionally, there is a real risk of creating an internal divide in the organization, where digital natives may choose to embrace new technologies while others may feel left behind. This creates an environment of disruption, resentment, siloes and even quiet rebellion against transformation efforts. Leadership teams need to plan and pace the transformation process carefully to avoid overloading teams with too many changes at once. Clear and consistent communication at every phase is also critical, allowing people the opportunity to understand what will happen and how changes will be executed. It is also crucial to foster inclusivity in the AI journey by offering equal access to learning and development programs designed for all levels of digital maturity, as well as rewarding adoption behaviors across all functions and levels. Embrace The Human Side For Success As AI reshapes business operations, strategy and customer engagement, organizations must accept that success in AI transformation still hinges on one critical element: people. The psychological impact on employees can make or break AI adoption, and leaders who fail to recognize the human impact of AI transformation risk outright failure. When employees feel like they are part of the AI transformation journey, rather than something "done" to them, they will feel motivated and accountable for its outcome. I believe that AI-based solutions will be a staple in most businesses and households, just like the microwave oven. By adopting a human-centric approach, we have the opportunity to quash the fears surrounding AI transformation well in advance. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
