And no, no one brought any Jello unfortunately.

Twenty-five years later,  The Cosby Show’s strong moral values still holds true with Americans, and Essence Magazine chose to celebrate that in its current issue.  The Cosby Show, debuting in 1984, was a step in the right direction for racial equality in television.  It brought a successful and loving family to the airwaves, showing everyone that African-American families could be affluent, well-educated, caring  and go through the same issues as any other family of any color.

Members of the original show came together in  May for Essence Magazine’s  cultural section shot by photographer Garth Aikens. 

 In attendance were Cosby himself, Phylicia Rashad ( “Claire”), Keisha Knight-Pulliam ( “Rudy”), Raven-Symone (“Olivia”) and Malcolm-Jamal Warner (“Theo”).  At the studio, laughter resonated through the walls, as the cast reminisced about their time together on the award-winning sitcom.  Cosby, in rare-form entertained the staff with antics.  “We were definitely a little bit starstruck,” notes Taylor Hingston, Equipment Manager.  “I mean come on, it’s Bill Cosby.  We grew up at home with him and his family!”

As Bill Cosby left the studio you couldn’t help but think, “What happened to all of those sweaters?”