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Time Magazine
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
Like Theo Huxtable, Malcolm-Jamal Warner Defied Expectations With Heart
In the final episode of The Cosby Show, Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable is beaming with pride—his only son is graduating college. Over the course of the show's eight year run, this moment was not always taken as a given; the son, Theo Huxtable, was for years presented as a chronic underachiever, more interested in the typical trappings of teenage boyhood—friends, parties, girls, motorcycles. He was never any real trouble, not aggressive, or violent, or otherwise disrespectful, but didn't seem to be able to live up to the expectations set by his successful father. His graduation from college in the finale is a triumph. And as Dr. Huxtable sits there, watching the ceremony, barely able to contain his glee, there's a flashback to the very first episode of The Cosby Show—a classic not only because of the eight seasons of the one of the greatest sitcoms ever that followed, but an episode that stands on its own as comedic genius. In it, the stage is set for Theo's trajectory: he has brought home a report card full of D grades, and this isn't something that will be accepted in the Huxtable household. When Dr. Huxtable confronts him about the report card, Theo suggests that he is maybe meant to be a regular person, not a doctor like his father or lawyer like his mother. The Huxtable patriarch responds with a lesson on the financial reality of 'regular' people, via Monopoly money. A bit later, a forlorn Theo offers a heartfelt thought. 'Instead of acting disappointed, because I'm not like you,' Theo says gently to his father, 'maybe you can just accept who I am and love me anyway. Because I'm your son.' The studio audience applauds, and for a moment everyone feels the tenderness of the request—a boy wanting to be loved by his father for who he is and not what his father desires for him. And then a comedic break: Dr. Huxtable rises and yells, 'Theo…that is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life!' The audience roars with laughter, as surely everyone who has ever seen it does, recognizing the exasperation of a parent wanting what is best for their child and a child's attempt to weasel out of giving any effort. Theo Huxtable was, of course, played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who at the age of 54, tragically died on Sunday in a drowning accident while vacationing with his family in Costa Rica. The loss has been felt all over—the cultural impact of The Cosby Show can't be overstated, and Warner was an integral part of it; the show possibly doesn't even work without him. For everything it sought to do in presenting a black family that was not mired in trauma, its heart could be found in Warner's portrayal of Theo trying his best to navigate the lofty expectations that come with such freedom, while also wanting to be a teenager, going through all the trials and tribulations that make up that phase of life. Warner, through Theo, became the relatable, accessible, fun, stylish (with the exception of the Gordon Gartrell catastrophe), good-natured older brother/cousin/friend that a teenager of the 1980s could hope to be or befriend. It is the way Warner will live on for many. And yet for others, that image is tainted, through no fault of Warner's. Bill Cosby, the show's creator and namesake, forever tarnished the legacy of The Cosby Show, through his years of sexually assaulting dozens of women. That has nothing to do with Warner, who made no excuses for Cosby when asked about him, but it still lingers. Which brings me back to that Cosby Show finale: one way to view it is as redemptive for Dr. Huxtable, that his harshness seen in the pilot episode and relentless pressure throughout the series paid off. Through his will, his son succeeded. Another is that Theo, having to overcome the long shadow of his father, managed to do so not only by being determined, but being gentle with himself and accepting of who he was—part way through the series, we learn that Theo has dyslexia, and that his trouble in school was not simply the result of his lack of effort, but a failure on the part of teachers, and his parents, to understand him better. But Theo never wavered in being possessed of his own confidence, or let the harshness of his father dim his good-nature. The same can be said of Malcolm-Jamal Warner. The long shadow of Bill Cosby has always been there, darker in recent years, and yet he forged a career as an actor that didn't rely on knowing he was once on one of the most popular sitcoms ever to see he had success. He scored comedic and dramatic roles alike, ranging from the late 1990s sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, which ran for four seasons, to appearing as O.J. Simpson's best friend Al Cowlings in 2016's The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story. He won a Grammy alongside Robert Glasper and Lalah Hathaway in 2015, and then was nominated for another in 2022 for his spoken word album Hiding in Plain View. He may not have become bigger than The Cosby Show, a difficult feat, but he became his own person, his own artist, something beyond even the relationship his audience forged with him. My favorite of his post-Cosby turns is an episode of the sitcom Community, from 2011, where he plays the previously unseen ex-husband of Shirley Bennett (Yvette Nicole Brown), Andre. In a quiet moment, another character remarks, 'Nice sweater' and Andre replies, 'Thanks. My dad gave it to me.' The sweater in question bears a striking resemblance to the kind Bill Cosby became famous for wearing. But Malcolm-Jamal Warner made it all his own.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ewing stars in Bells surf as Huxtable shocks world No.1
Ethan Ewing has powered into the quarter-finals at Bells Beach with the highest heat score so far among the men or women at the Rip Curl Pro. Ewing, the only Australian surfer in the men's field who has won Bells before, shone on Anzac Day with his round-of-16 victory. Compatriot Xavier Huxtable started a pulsating day of competition with a massive upset, knocking out world No.1 Italo Ferreira. Then Ewing had 9.33 and 9.43 scores on Friday afternoon to post 18.76 in his win over Australian-born Connor O'Leary (13.34), now surfing for Japan. In the same way that compatriot Tyler Wright looks well-placed heading into the women's quarters, Ewing is boasting strong form while key rivals are being dispatched. American world No.1 Caitlin Simmers, also the defending champion at Bells Beach, and Australian world No.3 Molly Picklum were shock losers on Thursday in the women's round of 16. "I've had some shockers out here with consistency and not catching too many waves, so it feels good to have the Bowl give me one back," Ewing said. "That was super fun. "It just feels good to be in rhythm out here." Huxtable's joy at taking down Ferreira was short-lived, with Griffin Colapinto convincingly beating him 12.90 to 3.00 in the round of 16. But the local underdog, who gained entry to the Rip Curl Pro by winning the local trials event, pumped up the crowd with his triumph over the Brazilian ace. massive moment as Xavier takes the win over world number 1 🤯📺 Men's Round of 32 is LIVE.#RipCurlProBellsBeach @ripcurl @originalbonsoy @melbourne — World Surf League (@wsl) April 25, 2025 "I got to the end of it and looked up, the whole stand, all my family and friends, everyone, was up there just screaming - going 'C'mon'," Huxtable said. "It got me so excited. It's a feeling that's pretty-much impossible to replicate." Ferreira had beaten Huxtable to win their opening-round heat. The third surfer involved, Moroccan Ramzi Boukhiam, dramatically suffered a freak knee injury and was forced out of the event. Organisers had hoped to finish the men's round of 16 on Friday but three heats remained - including Australian Jack Robinson against Brazilian Filipe Toledo. View this post on Instagram A post shared by World Surf League (@wsl) Ewing will face in-form Japanese Olympic silver medallist Kanoa Igarashi in the last eight. The winner will take on either South African Jordy Smith or Australian Morgan Cibilic in the semi-finals. Cibilic, like Huxtable a wildcard entry for the Rip Curl Pro, also scored a major upset to reach the quarters when he dispatched Italian world No.6 Leonardo Fioravanti. Smith won the last round in El Salvador, his first tour victory since taking out Bells Beach eight years ago. Before Ewing's masterclass, American Jake Marshall also had shone on Friday with his 18.33 to beat Joao Chianca in their top-quality round of 32 heat. Organisers waited two hours on Friday morning before resuming competition in four to six-foot conditions, with the event window ending on Monday.
Herald Sun
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Herald Sun
Rip Curl Pro: Xavier Huxtable stunned world No.1 Italo Ferreira
Don't miss out on the headlines from Other Sports. Followed categories will be added to My News. Xavier Huxtable had to win his way into the Rip Curl Pro via trials before the event and the rookie from Jan Juc used all his local knowledge to send world No.1 Italo Ferreira packing in a monumental upset at Bells Beach on Anzac Day. A day after veteran star Sally Fitzgibbons sent the women's world No.1 packing, Huxtable took out the round of 32 clash with the Brazilian star who has finished top three in three of four events this season. Huxtable, 22, went to local Anzac Day Dawn Service before heading to the beach for his clash with the 'best surfer in the world' and had the local crowd 'stomping' after the biggest win of his fledgling career. 'I can't believe it. I literally can't comprehend it. I was paddling in, trying to take it all in, but I still don't think I have it's unbelievable,' he said. Xavier Huxtable stook down the World No.1 at the Rip Curl Pro (Photo by Ed Sloane/World Surf League) 'I mean, I kind of was nearly on yesterday, and then had to reset. And then this morning, got up early, went down to the Anzac parade, and watched all that. Took that all in. It was really sick. 'Then came straight here and went out. And yeah, luckily got a few out there, and I was able to kind of turn it back on. And yeah, found a few good ones.' Huxtable knew he had to bring nothing but his best against the world No.1 and said 'it came off' after a brilliant opening wave scored 7.33, a score Ferreira couldn't match. 'I was like, I'm gonna have to attack every section that comes at me. And it came off,' he said. 'I got to the end of it, and I looked up and the whole stand, like all my family friends, everyone was up there just screaming. Just they got me so excited, like that feeling it's pretty much impossible to replicate. And I got to the end, looked up and seen everyone stomping and yeah, just like, say thanks everyone for supporting me.' Huxtable will take on American Griffin Colapinto in the round of 16. Originally published as Local lad Xavier Huxtable stunned the surfing world by taking down world No.1 Italo Ferreira at the Rip Curl Pro
7NEWS
25-04-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Aussie wildcard Xavier Huxtable stuns world No.1 in Bells Beach boilover
Xavier Huxtable is the latest giant killer at Bells Beach, beating surfing world No.1 Italo Ferreira in the Rip Curl Pro. The Australian, who won entry into the event as a wildcard by winning the Victorian trials, opened Friday's heats by taking down the Brazilian star as the round of 32 continued. Huxtable beat Ferreira 13.66 to 9.67 at the Bells Bowl in four- to six-foot waves. It was the ninth of the 16 heats, with the men's round of 16 to follow and close competition on Anzac Day. The men and women will then have reached their quarter-finals, well ahead of the competition window ending on Monday. Organisers waited two hours on Friday morning before resuming competition in clean conditions. Ferreira had beaten Huxtable to win their opening-round heat. The third surfer in the heat, Moroccan Ramzi Boukhiam, suffered a freak knee injury and was forced out of the event. American world No.1 Caitlin Simmers, also the defending champion at Bells Beach, and Australian world No.3 Molly Picklum were shock losers on Thursday in the women's round of 16. Australians George Pittar and Jack Robinson are in upcoming round of 32 heats.
Sydney Morning Herald
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australian wildcard Huxtable knocks out world No.1 at Bells
Xavier Huxtable is the latest giant killer at Bells Beach, beating surfing world No.1 Italo Ferreira in the Rip Curl Pro. The Australian, who won entry into the event as a wildcard by winning the Victorian trials, opened Friday's heats by taking down the Brazilian star as the round of 32 continued. Huxtable beat Ferreira 13.66 to 9.67 at the Bells Bowl in four-to six-foot waves. It was the ninth of the 16 heats, with the men's round of 16 to follow and close competition on Anzac Day. The men and women will then have reached their quarter-finals, well ahead of the competition window ending on Monday. Organisers waited two hours on Friday morning before resuming competition in clean conditions. Ferreira had beaten Huxtable to win their opening-round heat. The third surfer in the heat, Moroccan Ramzi Boukhiam, suffered a freak knee injury and was forced out of the event. American world No.1 Caitlin Simmers, also the defending champion at Bells Beach, and Australian world No.3 Molly Picklum were shock losers on Thursday in the women's round of 16.
