Posted on Jul 23, 2025

Jaleel White Was Visibly Shattered And "At A Loss For Words" When A Reporter Suddenly Asked Him About Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Death

Hours after the news of Malcolm's death became public, Jaleel was asked about it at the red carpet premiere of "Happy Gilmore 2."

by Chelsea Stewart

BuzzFeed Staff

Malcolm Jamal Warner smiling on the red carpet, wearing an elegant suit with intricate embellishments on the collar and lapel

Jaleel White poses on the red carpet wearing a patterned shirt with artistic hand designs and pants

Jaleel White being interviewed at an event for "Happy Gilmore 2," wearing a shirt with a patterned design

Jaleel White in a patterned shirt at a film premiere event background

Jaleel White giving an interview at an event, wearing a patterned shirt

Jaleel went on to recall his "close" friendship with Malcolm — including their shared connection to Michelle Thomas, the late actor who had dated Malcolm and appeared on The Cosby Show and Family Matters before dying of cancer in 1998. "Malcolm was like the first former child actor that my mother even let me go out with late at night past 11 p.m.," Jaleel, 48, recalled, "and I had a very close relationship with him, both him and Michelle Thomas. May they both rest in peace."

Jaleel White on a red carpet in a patterned shirt and necklace, speaking and gesturing slightly

He finished his statement by calling on people to remember Malcolm as a man of many talents. "Please remember him as a poet, a Grammy Award-winning musician, and an actor who did a lot more than just star on a sitcom when he was a kid," Jaleel concluded.

@extra_tv
Jaleel White remembers his friend Malcolm-Jamal Warner after his shocking death: “I grew up looking up to him.” 🙏 #malcolmjamalwarner #jaleelwhite #familymatters #cosbyshow
♬ original sound - ExtraTV

Jaleel White on carpet wearing a shirt with artistic hand designs, attending a "Happy Gilmore 2" event

Jaleel White Was Visibly Shattered And "At A Loss For Words" When A Reporter Suddenly Asked Him About Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Death

This week, news broke that Malcolm-Jamal Warner had tragically died in a drowning accident in Costa Rica.

Later that night, Jaleel White was asked about Malcolm's death at the premiere of Happy Gilmore 2. The two were, of course, television icons in the '90s, with Malcolm starring on The Cosby Show and Jaleel on Family Matters.

"I'd be remiss not to ask you," the reporter, who was representing Extra, began. "Obviously, today we heard the news of Malcolm-Jamal Warner as well. You guys [were] both on TV around the same time. Just, what does that mean to his impact and to The Cosby Show's impact?"

Jaleel, appearing visibly shaken, replied, "I mean, Malcolm and I were industry peers. I mean, really, I can't even say that. Like, I grew up looking up to him. He was ahead of me in the game."

"I'm kind of waiting for more details to come out because it was just a very disturbing report... Just accidentally this. But I don't know," Jaleel said, pausing as he struggled to find words to describe the loss. "You kind of caught me at a loss for words and kind of reflecting on my own memories."

He finished his statement by calling on people to remember Malcolm as a man of many talents. "Please remember him as a poet, a Grammy Award-winning musician, and an actor who did a lot more than just star on a sitcom when he was a kid," Jaleel concluded.

Sharing a screenshot of the apparent blunder on his Instagram account, Jaleel wrote, "All for clicks? @usweekly 🤷 Cmon Guys, fix this." As of writing, it appears the post has since been removed. You can see Jaleel's post below.