Lisa Bonet became a household name after landing the role of Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show and its spinoff, A Different World. However, it was revealed following the A Different World reunion on Red Table Talk that the role was initially offered to the late Whitney Houston.
Actor Darryl M. Bell, who considers himself to be the “holder of all things trivial, statistical, little well-known, interesting, fun, and unbelievable” within the series’ found family, shared the insight in a bonus clip (below) from the 35th-anniversary reunion episode.
Bell explained, “Now I’m sure everyone knows there’s a Cosby/Different World connection and what most people don’t know is that there were two actresses who were being considered for that role of Denise. When The Cosby Show was originally being cast, the role of Denise came down to Lisa Bonet and this other actress.”
He shared that said actress—who we now know as the Waiting To Exhale star—turned down the five-year contract because she was going to be a singer. “When they gave the other actress the contract, she said, ‘Oh I can’t do this,’” Bell continued. Though they pushed her to accept the offer because of Bill Cosby, she responded, “I’m a big fan, but can’t do it.”
Houston told the executives she was going to be a singer, despite not having a signed record deal at the time. She went to make her feature film debut in 1992 with The Bodyguard, whose soundtrack is still the best-selling of all time. Not to mention, she is regarded as one of the best vocalists ever.
Watch the full 35th-anniversary reunion with the cast of A Different World on Facebook Watch.
