The Cosby Show - "That's the dummest thing I've ever heard in my life!"

Which loving father doesn’t want his son to push himself to be a colleague graduate???

Back then in 1984 it made sense to go to college. A HBCU like Hillman College (i.e. Howard University) was $2,700.00 ($8,341.01 adjusted for inflation) per year.


Today in 2024 Hillman College would cost $31,050 per year ($125,000 4 years). With student loans being the most collectable kind of debt it makes the risk very high.


Unless, you want to pursue something like engineering or nursing or medical doctor, please think twice. "Real People" like plumbers make the same as medical doctors with out having to go to school for 8+ years.

Also, Theo had 2 rich parents (Doctor and Lawyer) who could pay his tuition, and in 1988 a NYU tuition was ~$20,000 ($54,415.90 adjusted for inflation) that degree would cost him $58,168 per year ($232,672 4 years).

So before you fall for this terrible metaphor, remember Theo grew up rich, his parents could pay his tuition, and his parents could probably help him get into NYU (acceptance rate ~70% in 1984) and could probably line a good job up for him after he graduates.

Bill Cosby is the greatest ever.

I don’t remember a show that was such a hit so fast. This was huge show for the first two to three season.

...and maybe your mother loves you too 😂😂😂

I know its coming and it still makes me laugh til I cry

@KDub you need to add that Cosby adlib to your repertoire' "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life"

Great times! This was back when "because I said so" meant something, and there were no Karens or PC AHs trying to say anything to the contrary

They had the audience thinking Theo was gonna win this, Lol! this is something Gen Z and Alpha kids need to watch. If nothing else, just this scene.

I was searching for this exact episode and scene. Found it.

My favorite scene but he needs to straighten his bedspread, it's crooked.

This is one of the few times Cliff got angry, but it was justified.

So, Y'all completely missed, if she's blind... But Son🤣🤣🤣 to this day!

Whos back after he's dealing with that tranny😂😂😂

“No wonder you get D’ssssss in everything!”
😂😂😂😂😂

😂😂😂 he said boy no wonder you fail that's the dumbest thing I ever heard after the audience said awe😂😂😂😂

Literally said this to my niece the other day when she brought a 60 back on her report card.

So many people fawning over this scene, but this is some twisted garbage.

The part where Malcom Jamal Warner has to turn away from the camera, and his little smile briefly shows. Even he couldn’t contain himself with this swerve of a moment. 😂😂😂

Man i loved this show. I remember winter nights growing up in Brooklyn watching MR Huxtable with a hungry man salabury steak tv dinner crushing on Lisa Bonet HARD AF.

Growing up, my mother once threatened me with that... Now i know where she got it from. 😂

I'm fine with stern parenting when warranted, but this is just plain emotional assault. He laid into him full force without acknowledging anything he said or how much he wanted to just hear "I love you regardless of your grades". All these comments supporting this approach of parenting really make me mad/

He need to get on Theo about cleaning his room 🤣🤣

That' wasn't dumb at all ...no wonder society is messed up we were tawt to be something we aren't and when the wrong people get in places they don't want to be in or not supposed to be in them boom the World today

“I just want you to do the best you can, that’s all. Because if you don’t, I’ll put a pillity pill in your drinkity drink”

I LOVE THIS !!!!! Always have

This scene is one of the most memorable scenes from the whole show for me to this day. It was my absolute favorite sitcom of all time growing up. Everything about it worked. The cast chemistry, the smart and brilliant humor , how relatable the family dynamics were. It just was sooo good.

Another standout scene for me is the one when Vanessa brings home that older guy “dabnis bricky” (something like that ). He worked as a janitor and Vanessa brings him to dinner one night and then Cosby gives that speech to dabnis where he makes that analogy about meal plate presentation and the difference in appeal when presenting a nice meal on fancy china vs a trash can lid and then says that was how Vanessa brought him in to meet her family… on a trash can lid 😂😂😂😂 so damn funny!😂

And then this is sort of minor and random but I always LOVED any scene that had Rudy’s friend from school in it. (Not Kenny). The little chubby white kid who didn’t talk much . Anyone know who I’m taking about ??lol. I wanna say his name was Peter?? He had such a minor roll in the show but something about him cracked me up anytime I saw him. He was always just so awkward and funny to me:)

I love this episode

“I brought you in this world and I’ll take you out”…This is where the threat of a “corporal love touch” is the necessary and appropriate discipline . Classic and one of the best TV scenes ever

One of the realest scenes ever.

They both have very good points.

Theo doesn't want to try bc he feels it's too hard, and he feels as though his parents are disappointed with him bc he doesn't want to try. He wants to be himself and live a "normal life" and he feels they should be happy that he's happy.

However, Cliff wants Theo to try his very hardest to make a difference in the world, make a living, make money, and be happy. He doesn't like how lazy or intimidated Theo is from this, and so he's tryin to encourage him to make the choice he believe is right for himself.

I can hear my father now if I tried that “boy do you expect me to buy that crap”😛

I’ll admit, what Cosby did was fucked up and I condemn him for it. However regardless I will always love this show and what it did for my childhood and will be a fan of this show.

As a father of two the line “I brought you into this world and I’ll take you out” will be a staple of my fathering 😂

Negotiating sin.

Vanessa getting chewed out by Clair in the Wretched episode totally makes me forget when Theo got chewed out by Cliff in the pilot.😮😮😮😮

I want to live in a different world where Cosby isn't who we know him to be.

This show was my childhood. And this scene is the funniest subversion I've ever seen in a sitcom, and one of the best scenes in comedy history, period.

But, alas, I don't live in that world and I can only separate the artist from the art to a certain degree, and now I can't even enjoy the hilarity of this scene.

Fuck I hate this timeline.

I will always love the cosby show no matter what😅

The underlying message in this is that he's telling his son "you're a black man in America. Ppl will expect mediocrity from you. You're not allowed to skate thru life because your parents are successful and are upper-middle class. You don't get that privilege. You don't have to be exceptional, but you have to rise above mediocrity"

I wonder how Cliff would have responded if Theo argued that there are some rich people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell, and Larry Ellison who don't have college degrees either but ended up very wealthy nevertheless. Therefore, Theo is confident that he will end up just fine just like these billionaire college dropouts.

I wonder who all are “regular people” watching this?

Theo was a moron in his early years

Theo had a really good point honestly. And learning later in the show that he had dyslexia shows he really was trying but his parents just assumed it was laziness. Happens all too often in real life unfortunately...

“No wonder you get D’s in everything!” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤦🏽‍♀️

Couldn't help but see that this show is mainly about Theo's character growth.

He went from "i was meant to be just a regular person" to "i want to help others who had a learning disability like me", then he graduates college

So basically he wants to lowball the shit outta life

As a kid with a learning disability, some of what Theo says does resonate. He was feeling like he didn't fit in because he felt he wasn't as smart as the rest of the family. He did want to be loved and respected and I don't think that was dumb at all! He was trying to talk about real feelings about not being as good as everyone else and he gets shut down. Later in the series we find out that Theo was a kid with a learning disability! When you think about that and then you go back to what he says here....Well, it kind of stings a bit.