Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux is a fictional character from the 1980s television series, ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...

''.

Background and production

Sondra Huxtable did not appear in the pilot episode of the show. Sondra was created when

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

wanted the show to express the accomplishment of successfully raising a child (e.g. a college graduate). Sabrina LeBeauf almost missed out on the role because she is only 10 years younger (b. 1958) than Phylicia Rashad (b. 1948), who played her mother in the series.

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

was in the running to be Sondra Huxtable. Sondra is introduced partway through Season 1 as the eldest of Cliff and Clair's five children, a sophomore studying pre-law at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. During Season 2, she meets and begins to date Elvin Tibideaux ( Geoffrey Owens), a pre-med student and fellow Princeton sophomore. Elvin irritates Cliff and Clair at first, but they eventually warm up to him and give their blessing to the couple's engagement near the end of Season 3. By the start of Season 4, Sondra and Elvin are married and have completed their undergraduate studies, but shock Cliff and Clair with their plans to open a wilderness supply store rather than continue on to law and medical school. Sondra gives birth to twins in Season 5, a boy and girl that she and Elvin name Nelson and Winnie. Elvin announces that he will attend medical school while Sondra raises the babies, then trade places with her so she can attend law school.

Reception

The character had been criticized for being too light skinned and not resembling the other characters.

References

Television characters introduced in 1984 African-American characters in television The Cosby Show characters Fictional characters from Brooklyn American female characters in sitcoms {{Tv-char-stub