Lenny Kravitz: 'Bill Cosby fired Lisa Bonet from TV show over pregnancy news'

Former child star Lisa Bonet was fired from TV sitcom A Different World by Bill Cosby when she announced she was pregnant, according to the actress' ex-husband, Lenny Kravitz.

In his new memoir, Let Love Rule, rocker Kravitz recalls the drama Bonet's baby news in 1988 caused on the set of The Cosby Show spin-off, which centred on her character Denise Huxtable's life at college.

He reveals the show's producer, Debbie Allen, called a meeting with Bonet and Cosby to discuss the development, but the now-disgraced comedian knew exactly what was going on - and he wasn't happy.

"You're here to tell me you're pregnant, aren't you?" Cosby reportedly asked his TV daughter.

Allen suggested they work the pregnancy into Denise's storyline, but days later, Cosby ruled out the potential plot: "Lisa Bonet is pregnant, but Denise Huxtable is not," he declared, before allegedly dropping the actress from the sitcom after the first season.

Bonet gave birth to the then couple's daughter, Zoe Kravitz, in December 1988, and subsequently reprised her role on The Cosby Show - but her return wasn't for long.

"From then on, her relationship with Bill was tense and ultimately untenable," Kravitz explains in his book.

Bonet left The Cosby Show for good in 1991, a year before its eighth and final season.

The actress has yet to weigh in on her ex's recollection of the tough time in her career, and representatives for Cosby - who is serving prison time for sexual assault - have not responded to requests for comment.

Bonet and Kravitz divorced in 1993, after six years of marriage, but remain close.