Malcolm-Jamal Warner wants the legacy of The Cosby Show to be allowed to continue, and he thinks that yanking the show off the air is a lopsided reaction, since others who have been accused of sexual misconduct (and who, incidentally, are white) have not been treated this way.
Of course, Warner admitted, some of his plea does come from a place of selfishness, since he is losing revenue when “The Cosby Show” is off the air.
“It’s literally taking money out of my pocket,” Warner said during an appearance on The Real. “So I got my own personal feelings about that, because it personally affects me.”
Warner also pointed out that the reaction to allegations of rape and sexual assault against Bill Cosby has been different to the reaction to allegations against other famous entertainers.
“There is no one that has been calling for Woody [Allen]’s movies to be pulled off the air,” Warner said. “Roman Polanski is still celebrated. Stephen Collins’ show still comes on. So it’s just interesting how it’s very unbalanced.”
This does not mean, Warner was careful to note, that he was defending Cosby in any way, though.
“I am in no position to defend him, because I can’t,” he said. “But nor will I throw him under the bus.”