Everyone who watched The Cosby Show during its original run from 1984 to 1992, and in syndication thereafter, had a favorite member of the Huxtable family. Many related to Vanessa, the second youngest Huxtable, portrayed by Tempestt Bledsoe, who was just 11 years old when she took on the role that would define her career. She had no idea then how big the show would become.
“The thing about the industry I’m in is that it makes you grow up really fast,” she told the Chicago Tribune in 1989. “You are confronted with a lot of adult issues very quickly. It’s just a different kind of society that you circulate in.”
Indeed, Bledsoe grew up before viewers’ eyes. She played an important role on a show that meant so much to so many people, and it’s without a doubt part of her legacy today. In an interview with The Root, Shonda Rhimes discussed her feelings about Vanessa’s character and Bledsoe’s portrayal. “Vanessa Huxtable was not always perfectly pressed,” she noted. “It was not always well-done; sometimes it’s sticking out a little bit, [and] it felt real. And then you had the sisters who had much more perfect [hair] — Rudy had her little braids. But Vanessa felt like me. That was exciting to see — watching television, that image was good — to see somebody who you related to, who looked like you.”
Tempestt Found Love During Her Time on ‘The Cosby Show’
In 1993, the year after The Cosby Show ended, Bledsoe began dating fellow actor Darryl M. Bell, best known for his role as Ron Johnson on the Cosby Show spin-off, A Different World. The two met when Bledsoe made a guest appearance on the series five years earlier. They’ve been together ever since, although they chose not to marry.
“I think we are very compatible. I think that is really the heart of it. People ask us what it is. I think a lot of couples find themselves together and find out that they are not really a good match. And laughter is also very important,” she said. The couple gave reality TV a go in 2009 when they appeared on House Husbands of Hollywood. They filmed nine episodes of the show and were one of the only unmarried couples to appear.
That wasn’t Bledsoe’s only reality TV gig that year. She appeared on VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club. She told People she lost 19 lbs. on the show and kept it off by maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle. “For me, what works best is to try to eat healthy and not worry about the scale,” she remarked.
Tempestt Has Even Reunited With One of Her ‘Cosby’ Siblings On-Screen
In 2013, Cosby fans were thrilled to learn that Bledsoe would reunite with her on-screen sister, Keisha Knight Pulliam, who played Rudy, the youngest Cosby sibling. The two portrayed sisters again in a single episode of Guys With Kids. Bledsoe played Marny on the series, while Pulliam guest-starred as Marny’s spoiled sister, Bridget. It was a thrill for Bledsoe.
“I grew up with Keshia. She’s like my sister, so we immediately clicked again,” Bledsoe told TV Guide. “When producers decided to cast the role they asked me how I’d feel about having Keshia and I said, ‘Absolutely!’ I think they’re fantasizing about having all of The Cosby Show cast pop up.”
The two reunited again in 2018 in the Lifetime holiday movie Jingle Belle, where they again played sisters, but not each other’s sister. Pulliam played the main character Ali’s sister, Tori, while Bledsoe filled the role of Jackie, sister of Michael, Ali’s love interest.
Tempestt Continues to Enjoy a Low-Key Life and Great Successes
Tempestt Bledsoe has always stayed busy in her career. She has enjoyed success in voice acting, lending her talents to 2012’s ParaNorman and the animated series The Replacements. Most recently, Bledsoe appeared in the Netflix series Family Reunion in 2019.
