Can someone fill me in once and for all exactly what happened with Lisa Bonet and Bill Cosby?

I heard she was sacked from TCS by Bill because he appeared nude in a movie.. But then again, she had to leave in Season 5 because she was pregnant.. and then Bill apparently put any differences with Lisa aside by having her back on the show in Season 6.. And then she disappared again for the final season?

So, can someone please fill me in on what actually happened?

Lisa was VERY hard to deal with. During the show's first season, Lisa fit in greatly and was an inspiring actress in the making who loved everyone. However, there were problems at home with her mother, and finally, the mother did not come to watch her daughter on the set. Lisa beame depressed after a while, but getting an emmy nomination lifted her spirits...until she was beat ouyt by Rhea Perlman. As I understand, she wanted a raise, and made the set a living hell. She left for a while...to star in a little film in which she had a 12-minute hard-core sex scene with Mickey Rourke. Bill was devestated and demanded she be gone from the show. Lisa became girlfriend of Lenny Kravitz, who eventually dumped her causing Lisa to drop out of various episodes.


It's a sad story considering the talent she had...but honestly...Lisa Bonet against Rhea Perlman!

Originally posted by callmetootie
Lisa was VERY hard to deal with. During the show's first season, Lisa fit in greatly and was an inspiring actress in the making who loved everyone. However, there were problems at home with her mother, and finally, the mother did not come to watch her daughter on the set. Lisa beame depressed after a while, but getting an emmy nomination lifted her spirits...until she was beat ouyt by Rhea Perlman. As I understand, she wanted a raise, and made the set a living hell. She left for a while...to star in a little film in which she had a 12-minute hard-core sex scene with Mickey Rourke. Bill was devestated and demanded she be gone from the show. Lisa became girlfriend of Lenny Kravitz, who eventually dumped her causing Lisa to drop out of various episodes.


It's a sad story considering the talent she had...but honestly...Lisa Bonet against Rhea Perlman!


Here is my point. Who is Bill Cosby to tell lisa what movies she can be in? He wasn't her real father-Bill Cosby is a certified Wacko!

Thanks for the info Callmetootie. :)

Im still a bit confused though - during what season did the bust-up with Bill over the Mickey Rourke movie happen? Was she in A Diff'rent World when this happened? Or was it at the start of Season 5?
And what happened to make her return to the show for Season 6?

This morning on E! there was a Real Hollywood Story about the Cosby Kids. Im sure it deals in detail about Lisa, but I havent watched it much yet. Will let you know.

Thanks Jason - look forward to hearing the story. :)

Ok after watching the special, which seemed to pretty much center around Bonet, who knows if all of this is true but here it goes. This is the view according to the E! True Hollywood Story

Apparently Cosby did a large job to set up an environment on the set that while included hardwork, and sometimes near perfection, fostered a good sense of education and upbringing to the kids. the kids were required to do tutoring on set, and this was considered to be more important than the show even. Cosby put high priority on education and in how the kids made them selves as adults. He wanted them to go on and get educated and take a career path that would take them the farthest in edifiying themselves as people.

Lisa, evidently from the start took issue to this, and being very strong willed and freespirited due to the fact she grew up being an interracial kid, she often butted heads with Cosby. She would show up late, sometimes not at all, and just in general made a mockery of what bill tried to create on the set through the years.

This continued through the length of the show creating all of the controversy we heard of.. Lisa, gets married to a rock star (bill did not approve), she later gets pregnant, etc..

When she got married, bill told her dont do this and dont have a kid, because he was going to make another show for her (different world) He was giving her another chance to finish education, rather than dropping it all and getting into a marriage.

So she got pregnant anyway, left the show, came back, went to DW and then left the show there. They made up the story line for her to marry Martin as to not deal with a drop out on Different World. They felt it was better dealt with on Cosby Show.

She then did the movie with the nude scene, posed nude for interview magazine, had a semi nude shot on Rolling stone, etc.

All this time Cosby was frustrated with her as her attitude and work ethic on the show was still weird, (being late, or not showing up, etc)

In a final blow toward the end of the show at one script reading she shows up one day and then not the next

Cosby finally in the end decides he cant take it anymore, and announces to the crew one day that she will not be back. That was the end of it.

The Special went on to focus on the fact that the other cast members were succesful. Sabrina graduated and became a successful interior designer, Tempest graduated in Finance, went on to have her own show. Keshia graduated in Sociology, Malcom graduated as well, went on to star in the successful Malcom and Eddie.

It seems Bill thought they all needed to value their education and take that seriously before showbiz. And Lisa had no desire.

In a strange twist of events, they mentioned Lisa Bonet now living a quiet life, working at Community center where she helps people get jobs and such.

actually, the nude movie "Angel Heart" was made in between the second and third season, it came out in early 1987, when Lisa was just 19. The movie was otherwise forgettable (even tho it had DeNiro in it), but it was interesting to see her play the complete opposite of Denise.

I wonder if Bill feels stupid being so against Lenny Kravitz back in the late 80's when fast-forward to 2002, Lenny's still a huge star and has had a bigger career after the show went off in 1992 than anyone on Cosby, including Bill himself.

Cry not for Lisa tho, she still shows up on tv and in movies from time to time. She was in the A&E movie Lathe Of Heaven last month, and Entertainment Tonight recently showed her on the set on a NASCAR movie she's going to be in. She was also in the John Cusack flick High Fidelity, as well as Enemy Of The State with Will Smith a few years back.

I think with Bill, it was really not so much about being successful in showbiz, but more about being educated.

It is interesting that besides maybe Malcom Jamal Warner, Lisa has been in the most things since Cosby.

Originally posted by Jason3fc
I think with Bill, it was really not so much about being successful in showbiz, but more about being educated.

I think he cared too much about that stuff. Ask most people who weren't watching tv in the 80's if they know who Sabrina LeBeauf, Tempestt Bledsoe and Keisha-Knight Pulliam with all their degrees, and they might not know if they didn't watch Cosby. But they probably know Lenny Kravitz with all of his gold and platinum albums, and highly publicised relationships with everyone from Lisa to Madonna and Janet Jackson.

His point was probably its not who you know, but what you know...

thnx for all the info. very informative. :happyface

Thanks Jason for the info. I always liked Bill Cosby. You can tell that he's a man with good morals and knows priorities. In a sense he was the Uncle Bill of the 1980's.

thats interesting thanx