Whenever anyone starts a sentence with "I grew up on," you know what comes next is meaningful to them.

Well, I grew up on The Cosby Show.

For those who don't know, The Cosby Show was a cultural phenomenon.

It held the #1 spot on U.S. television for five consecutive seasons and became one of the first American sitcoms to achieve global mainstream popularity across continents.

Taught by TV 

In its first season, I'd been in the US for four years, having moved here from Africa with my family.

Arriving at 8 years old not speaking English, television became my most entertaining language teacher.

The Cosby Show was different.

It was the first time a highly-educated, upper-middle-class Black family was portrayed on TV.

For the first time in television history, you had a Black doctor and his attorney wife as the leads on a network show.

For me, it was Must See TV every Thursday night.

The Episode

As the world mourns the tragic loss of one of the show's breakout stars, Malcolm Jamal Warner, who passed away on July 20, 2025, I found myself rewatching a key episode from the show's sixth season.

In it, Malcolm’s character Theo finds out he has dyslexia.

After a history of bad grades and struggling with tests where he felt he knew the material, he's advised to take a dyslexia assessment.

He comes home with the results and announces to his parents: "You guys, I'm dyslexic!"

They all cheer. Smiles, hugs, and high-fives.

I can relate to that moment of discovery.

Not so much the joy, but the relief of finding out after years of struggling that there was a reason all along.

That validation changed my life.

They Got It Right

What I love about the Theo’s Gift episode is the care and emotional intelligence with which it was written.

From the moment dyslexia was mentioned, the show educated the public that dyslexia had many more presentations beyond just flipping letters or bad spelling. 

Most entertainment opportunities showcasing dyslexia go for the obvious joke; the least common denominator explanation for something so complex.

Instead, they used Theo's diagnosis to model parental understanding and support rather than blame or shame.

Television did what you usually see in documentaries: they educated, entertained, and empowered with empathy and class.

A Legacy Lives On

Up until his passing on July 20, 2025, people of all ages were still telling Malcolm about how that dyslexia episode from 35 years ago changed their lives or the life of someone they cared about.

That's the kind of lasting impact that reminds us how powerful good work can be. 

But as dyslexics navigating our own worlds, we rarely pause to acknowledge the good work happening right around us.

Frustated with frustration, We forget to show gratitude to ourselves and sometimes others.

Despite all we’ve accomplished, we often feel it's not enough, or worse, that we're not enough.

But loss reminds us to recognize what we miss in our daily rush.

Words Matter

All we have are these moments, and they're not promised to come forever.

So whether you're saying it to yourself or someone in your universe/ acknowledge, recognize, and encourage while you still can.

The words matter so much more than we imagine:

"Wow, you got it right."

"You did a great job."

"Thank you."

Condolecences to the Warner family.

Rest in Power my brother.

Malcolm Jamal Warner (1970-2025)

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