Malcolm-Jamal Warner and 'The Cosby Show' made kids with learning disabilities feel seen

As tributes to Malcolm-Jamal Warner pour in following his drowning, fans and disability advocates are recalling the impact of seeing Theodore “Theo” Huxtable being diagnosed with dyslexia as a teen on “The Cosby Show.”The character’s learning disability was actually based on Bill Cosby’s own son, Ennis Cosby, who had the condition.“I think the turning point for Theo was when they diagnosed him with dyslexia,” Warner said in a 2023 interview with DCP Entertainment

As tributes to Malcolm-Jamal Warner pour in following his drowning, fans and disability advocates are recalling the impact of seeing Theodore “Theo” Huxtable being diagnosed with dyslexia as a teen on “The Cosby Show.”

The character’s learning disability was actually based on Bill Cosby’s own son, Ennis Cosby, who had the condition.

“I think the turning point for Theo was when they diagnosed him with dyslexia,” Warner said in a 2023 interview with DCP Entertainment.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theo Huxtable on "The Cosby Show."NBC via Getty Images filePeople with dyslexia struggle to understand written language, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Children diagnosed with this learning disability can work with an expert to bolster their reading skills.

A study from 2024 indicated that educators often fail to identify African American children with dyslexia. A missed or delayed diagnosis means students do not receive early interventions to help them with their reading skills and academic performance. This also affects their self-esteem, with many children with undiagnosed dyslexia thinking of “themselves as ‘dumb,’” the study said.