Lisa Bonet left The Cosby Show primarily due to creative differences with Bill Cosby, particularly regarding her career choices beyond the sitcom.
These disagreements stemmed from Bonet's desire to pursue diverse acting opportunities and projects that extended beyond her established role as Denise Huxtable. The dispute revolved around her aspirations for a more varied career path, which conflicted with the direction and expectations for her character within The Cosby Show.
In an effort to address these tensions and provide Bonet with a more mature platform that aligned better with her evolving career interests, Bill Cosby developed the spin-off series, A Different World. This show was specifically created amidst their ongoing discussions, serving as an attempt to accommodate her desire for growth and new challenges. While A Different World initially provided an alternative for her character, the underlying creative differences ultimately led to her character's reduced presence on and eventual departure from the main cast of The Cosby Show.
