Malcolm-Jamal Warner breaks silence on Bill Cosby

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Malcolm-Jamal Warner is the latest cast member of The Cosby Show to weigh in on the growing number of allegations against Bill Cosby.

In an excerpt from an upcoming interview with Billboard, Warner compared the pain he experiences watching Cosby go through this ordeal to the pain of the women coming forward to discuss the details of the allegations:

He’s one of my mentors, and he’s been very influential and played a big role in my life as a friend and mentor. Just as it’s painful to hear any woman talk about sexual assault, whether true or not, it’s just as painful to watch my friend and mentor go through this.

Warner, who starred as Cosby’s TV son “Theo” for 8 seasons, was just nominated for a Grammy award for his collaboration with Robert Glasper and Lalah Hathaway.

Warner did not speak directly on the allegations, telling the magazine he “was not there.” Echoing some of what fellow castmate Phylicia Rashad recently said, Warner also discussed Cosby’s legacy:

The Bill Cosby I know has been great to me and great for a lot of people. What he’s done for comedy and television has been legendary and history-making. What he’s done for the black community and education has been invaluable. That’s the Bill Cosby I know.

Billboard said the magazine will release more of the Warner interview later on Wednesday.