“Live” played a clip of the “Cosby Show” actor greeting Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford from the show’s 1988 debut.

Kelly Ripa honors first-ever Live guest Malcolm-Jamal Warner after tragic death: ‘So sad and crushing’

"Live" played a clip of the "Cosby Show" actor greeting Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford from the show's 1988 debut.

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on July 22, 2025 11:53AM EDT

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Kelly Ripa on 'Live With Kelly and Mark'; Malcolm-Jamal Warner on 'Live With Regis and Kathie Lee' in 1988. Credit:

- Kelly Ripa honored Malcolm-Jamal Warner on the air after the sitcom star died in Costa Rica.

- *Live* played footage of Warner's first appearance on the show's 1988 premiere episode.

- Warner greeted hosts Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford in the clip.

Kelly Ripa paused *Live With Kelly and Mark*'s traditionally chipper atmosphere Tuesday morning to honor *The Cosby Show* actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who died Sunday from accidental drowning.

The host made the rare move in highlighting tragic news on the usually cheerful program at the top of the episode when she paid tribute to Warner, *Live*'s first-ever interview guest.

"There's a lot of sad news in the news, so I guess we'll just get to it and then try to do a hard pivot afterwards," Ripa, 54, said, breaking from the program's introductory host chat with husband Mark Consuelos. "I can't believe this, because [producer Michael] Gelman was telling me backstage that the very first episode of this show, Malcolm-Jamal Warner was a guest on."

Malcolm-Jamal Warner greeting Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford on 'Live' in 1988.

The show then played a brief clip of Warner from the series premiere on Sept. 5, 1988. In the clip, Warner walked out to be interviewed by inaugural *Live* cohosts Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford, who greeted him after he waved to the audience.**** Warner was caught in a current in Costa Rica Sunday and died of asphyxia.**

"We were talking about this yesterday," Consuelos added, as Ripa, who joined Philbin as cohost in 2001, continued with her tribute to Warner, who was also 54 at the time of his death.

"He shockingly and sadly and devastatingly was caught in this surprise high current in Costa Rica and died as a complication of that," Ripa told the audience. "It's just so sad and crushing, and you don't realize — I literally, even though I didn't know him, grew up with this man."

Jaleel White remembers late Malcolm-Jamal Warner after making abstinence rap video years ago

Malcolm-Jamal Warner died of asphyxia after being 'swept away by a current' in Costa Rica

Ripa pointed out that, despite being on different trajectories in life, "We were 14 years old together, only he was a big TV star and I was watching him."

She said that the *Cosby Show* "was so singular in its presence," and that she's "sort of followed his entire career and always had a fondness for" Warner, who played Theodore Huxtable, Cliff Huxtable's son, on the program.

Ripa finished the segment by telling the audience, "I feel like a piece of all of us passed away. It's very, very sad."

Malcolm-Jamal Warner on 'Live With Regis and Kathie Lee' in 1988.

Earlier, Cosby paid tribute to his onscreen son in an interview with ABC News.

"He was always a great studier, and I enjoyed working with him very much," Cosby said of Warner, who starred across eight seasons of *The Cosby Show* from 1984-1992.

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"He was very professional. He always knew his part," Cosby continued. "He always knew his lines, and he always knew where to go."

*Live With Kelly and Mark* airs weekdays in syndication. Check your local listings for showtimes in your area.

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