Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mom, Pamela Warner, says his widow, Tenisha Warner, won’t let her see her granddaughter, MacKenzie Warner, after his death, TMZ reports.
Pamela filed new court documents amid their battle over the millions Malcolm left behind when he drowned at age 54 during a father-daughter vacation in Costa Rica on July 20, 2025.
Malcolm was best known for his role as Theo Huxtable in the 1980s sitcom “The Cosby Show.”
Pamela said she has no “ill-will” towards Tenisha, and she doesn’t know the source of the tension between them.
In her court filing, Pamela claims Tenisha “terminated” her relationship with her granddaughter, MacKenzie.
Tenisha sued Pamela for $1.2 million over her daughter’s inheritance from the family trust.
Tenisha accused Pamela of selling the family home and taking control of Malcolm’s bank accounts.
Pamela and Tenisha reached an out-of-court settlement in that suit.
But Pamela says Tenisha misrepresented facts about the sale of the Los Angeles home that Malcolm had intended for his daughter.
“Recent claims that Pamela sought to prevent her granddaughter from receiving financial support are untrue,” Pamela said in a statement to TMZ.
Pamela said Malcolm’s estate did not have the money to pay expenses of $9,000 per month to keep and maintain the L.A. property.
In the documents, Pamela dismissed Tenisha’s claim that Pamela should get nothing from her son’s estate.
After the settlement, Pamela said she remained “hopeful that all parties will support the resolution.”
Pamela’s attorney said Malcolm was “thoughtful and deliberate in his estate planning to include all his loved ones.” She said his trust was divided between her, his father and his sister.
However, Pamela said Malcolm provided millions for his wife and daughter separately and apart from the family trust. It isn’t clear what Tenisha did with the money.