At the 2025 Emmy Awards, emotions ran high when Phylicia Rashad stepped onto the stage. Known to millions as Clair Huxtable from The Cosby Show, Rashad introduced the in memoriam segment and used the moment to say goodbye to someone very close to her on-screen family — Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Warner, who played Theo Huxtable, passed away in July at age 54 after an accidental drowning while vacationing with his family in Costa Rica. “Like all our friends and colleagues who transitioned this past year, Malcolm-Jamal Warner remains in our hearts,” Rashad continued. “Today, in his honor, my daughter and I are launching River & Ember and officially opening The Warner Family Foundation.