Reed Between the Lines alum Nadji Jeter is remembering his late TV dad, Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
More than one week after Warner’s death at 54 years old, Jeter, 28, reflected on his time working with the Cosby Show actor on their BET series in an essay for HuffPost published on Wednesday, July 30.
“The day I met Malcolm-Jamal Warner, I had to have been 13 or 14. We were doing the auditions and the pilot for Reed Between the Lines, which premiered on BET in 2011,” Jeter began. “I had a bunch of energy because I already knew what they were looking for, and also I was excited about the family aspect: him being a dad and me being the first son that he’s ever had. He really took me under his wing and took that father role to another level.”
On the show, Warner played Dr. Alex Reed, an English professor at New York University. Jeter played his stepson, Keenan Reynolds, a teenage boy who loved music and video games. Keenan also had a fraternal twin sister, Kaci Reynolds (Zoë Soul), and a younger half-sister, Alexis Reed (Zoé Hendrix). Their mom, Dr. Carla Reed (Tracee Ellis Ross), was a successful psychologist.
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Jeter explained that Warner took his onscreen father role “to the next level.”
“It was crazy because we were both getting used to it. I’m not used to having a dad, and you could tell the same for him, because he didn’t have kids yet. It was a learning experience for both of us, but we had fun in that development,” Jeter continued.
The Dance Camp actor said that he and Warner had “a lot of good-ass times” on set together as Warner watched his TV son grow up.
“He actually guided me and showed me the way to keep my head on straight,” Jeter continued.
Jeter said that after Reed Between the Lines ended in 2015 after two seasons, he and Warner stayed in contact with each other.
“He called me ‘Ill Knowledge’ — that was his name for me,” Jeter revealed. “We both had busy schedules because we continued with industry stuff, but whenever it’s that time to sit down and chop it up with your family, you do it.”
Reflecting on the impact Warner had on others, Jeter added that the “world loved Malcolm.”
“He brought warmth and joy to the world with The Cosby Show. Seeing a beautiful family on a TV show can really help you through a lot,” he continued. “It doesn’t matter if you grew up in a single-parent household or what, you could turn on that show and just feel warmth. He was part of a legacy that will always be known.”
Jeter said he’s still struggling to process Warner’s death.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Final Days and Life as a Family Man: ‘He Was Just Dad’
“Growing up and still being able to call him whenever I could, and then to get that news was just … I’m still in disbelief,” he added.
“Malcolm became big bro, and he was like a father figure. He became everything,” Jeter noted. “I was still looking up to him and showing him my new music. He was telling me, like, ‘OK, you’re getting better.’ You know, it was always a growth thing with him. And every time I would see him, it was like no time had passed. So this really, really hurts.”
He concluded, “But I know he’s jamming up there. He’s waiting for me.”
Warner died on July 20 in an accidental drowning near Cocles, a beach in Limon, Costa Rica. His cause of death was “asphyxia due to submersion,” according to the Costa Rican Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ).
