Surviving Fame, Finding Love, & The Bill Cosby Effect — Malcolm-Jamal Warner Unfiltered

Hot & Bothered

Melyssa Ford

Alternative Health, Nutrition, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 612 Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Actor, musician, and generational icon Malcolm-Jamal Warner sits down with Melyssa Ford for a deep, vulnerable, and unfiltered conversation about legacy, fatherhood, and surviving the spotlight from childhood through adulthood. From growing up on The Cosby Show to evolving beyond the shadow of “Theo,” Malcolm opens up about his personal journey — including his rocky start in love, why he once chose not to marry or have kids, and what changed when he finally met the woman who became his wife. He shares how becoming a father later in life shifted everything, his experience navigating grief and the loss of childhood friends, and why choosing his roles with intention matters more than ever. The two also explore The Cosby Show’s complex legacy, his creative life as a musician, and why he celebrates Black history every day — not just in February. This episode is about growth, grace, and building a legacy on your own terms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This program is intended for informational purposes only and does not contain medical advice.
0:04.8	As always, please contact your physician or qualified health care provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.
0:14.6	What's up, everybody?
0:17.8	Thank you for joining me on another episode of Hot and Bothered with Melissa Ford.
0:23.1	Today's guest is somebody that I have been looking forward to interviewing for a really long time.
0:29.5	He is a singer, a songwriter, a spoken word artist.
0:34.3	He's also a director and a producer.
0:37.2	But he was also one of the stars of one of the most
0:39.6	iconic TV shows in television history. You might remember him as Theo Huxstable, but I want to
0:47.2	introduce you to Malcolm Jamal Warner. Thank you so much for joining me. You don't understand
0:53.0	how blessed I feel because this
0:55.7	episode has been a long time in the making. I'm so glad you were able to make a pit stop.
1:01.7	I'd be waiting at the airport. Malcolm Jamal Warner, this has been like, when we got the call,
1:07.4	we got you. I was like, no way. Yeah. You know, you're a big deal, right?
1:14.0	Sure. Sure. Okay. So prior to, you know, all of this, we were really talking about existentialism and,
1:22.7	you know, just light stuff, you know, and I was telling Malcolm about this book that he's got to get. It's so incredible because it's one of those things where, you know, and I was telling Malcolm about this book that he's got to get. It's so incredible
1:28.8	because it's one of those things where, you know, it just reminds you of your humanity, you know.
1:36.5	And it's a book that I give away his gifts all the time. It's called Tuesdays with Mori. Have you ever
1:41.0	read that book? Oh, God, you got to go pick it up. When you're at the
1:44.4	airport, please pick it up. Because this book, and also you're going to sob. You are going to
1:52.3	sob. I don't need that in my life right now. No, no, no, no, no. It's in the best possible way.
1:57.0	In the best possible way. Maybe you can read it like with your wife. You know, it's one of those things. Like, it's just a really dope experience that you feel like you want to share with everybody. I remember the first time that I read this book, I started writing letters to everybody. Like, oh my God, you're so meaningful to me. I just want you to know. I'm giving you your flowers right now. Like, it's just, I'm a
	...

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