Carl Anthony Payne - What Happened to Cockroach on the Cosby Show?

Carl Anthony Payne II, who played Walter “Cockroach” Bradley on The Cosby Show, was fired after refusing to cut his hair. After 12 episodes, he was never seen again. Many believe he was fired because his hair was too long, and Cosby preferred clean-cut male cast members. As a result, he was replaced by Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

The storyline of the episode was not funny, and it only lasted 12 episodes. It would have been better if the cockroach appeared in ten episodes. It’s sad to think that we missed out on such a golden opportunity. Despite being an excellent character, Cockroach was only in 12 episodes. If the show had continued the series, the cockroach might have made it to season ten.

Carl Payne was born in Brooklyn and started acting at an early age. He made his acting debut in 1985 in the film The Last Dragon and later became a member of The Cosby Show. He continued to audition for smaller roles until he finally got the role of Cockroach.

While Cosby did not want to have Bonet appear on the main series, he wanted to avoid the scandal that could come from firing her. But the move to the spin-off was not welcomed by the actress. She later said that she only agreed to the move because “they told me to”