Malcolm-Jamal Warner says that his best friend "Cosby Show" was his rival in real life

The actor who played Theo Huxtable explained why the two actors did not get along during the show.


They played best friends on one of the most popular comedies in television history, but behind the scenes, there were tensions between these two young stars. Malcolm-Jamal Warner played on The Cosby Show As Theo Huxtable during the eight seasons, from 1984 to 1992. At the start of the show's seasons, Theo's best friend was Walter "Cockroach" Bradley, who was played by Carl Anthony Payne II . Payne appeared in a dozen episodes extending from season 2 to season 4 before leaving the show for good.

In a new interview, Warner opened on him and Payne did not get behind the scenes and the reason they put heads. He also updated where they are today. Read the rest for more.

Read this then: See Rudy de The Cosby Show Now at 43 .

Warner and Payne were in the running for the same role.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Carl Anthony Payne II on
Viacom Enterprises

For a January 12 to interview The breakfast club ( Via Atlanta Black Star ), Warner shared that he and Payne both auditioned for the role of Theo.

"Original reminders for Cosby , they stole in a Chicago actor and stole into a New York actor, "said Warner." Carl was the actor in which they stole from New York. So, if I hadn't auditioned for the show, Carl would have played Théo. "Earlier in the interview, Warner had said that he was" literally the last person they had seen "with regard to the first round of reminders for this character.

Warner said Payne had a large ego.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner being interviewed by
Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM / YouTube

Although Payne did not obtain the main role of Theo, he was interpreted as the good cockroach of Theo de Theo. Accommodate DJ Envy Said the situation: "I have to look at you every day and see that you took my part." Warner added: "And then I have to come back to play your best friend." AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

Warner said he thought that their difficult working relationship discovered in part. "I think that part, it can have something to do with that-it was part of it," he said.

However, he also thought that there could also have been personality factors. "He had a huge ego," said Warner about Payne. "And I did not come from this kind of place. The way I felt then and as I do now, you know, on the basis of my career, if someone had to walk with a huge ego, this should be me. And if I don't ride like that, I have very little tolerance for people who ride like that. So we never really - we really never got along at the time. "

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They have installed everything when they get older.

Carl Anthony Payne II at the HCA TV Awards Broadcast & Cable in 2022
Leon Bennett / FilmMagic via Getty Images

Warner said of his relationship with Payne: "We are cooler as an adult than we were." He added: "As an adult, we were able to sit down and have conversations and we are in a very cool and adult place now."

While Payne did not last long The Cosby Show , it has become better known for another sitcom. The actor played as a cole on Martin from 1992 to 1997.

Payne said it was devastated to lose on the part.

In a 2019 interview with Comedy Hype (Warning: a strong language in the clip above), Payne spoke of auditioning to The Cosby Show And be sure that he was going to get a main role.

"I auditioned for Theo's part," he said. "And they stole me, Malcolm, and this other guy ... They all gave us in California." When the cast was announced, Payne said: "I was sitting right next to Malcolm, and I just knew I had done a great job, and they were going to say" you ". And they looked at me and He pointed out the point. And I was like [haches]… it was as if I was struck in the stomach by Floyd Mayweather . ""

Payne shared that Bill Cosby He assured that he was not refused because he lacked talent, so he continued to audition for small games in the show before obtaining the role of cockroach. "I remember the last hearing, I said to myself:" If they say no again, I never come back for this show "... and it turned out that it worked," recalls the 'actor.


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