Typically playing straight woman to Cosby's humorous Cliff, Rashad's character began to adopt more comedic material during the show's second season, although she maintains her disciplinarian status within her own household.

[24] Cosby pitched a series about a detective who solves crime using wit and humor; Clair's earliest incarnation resembled his character's girlfriend, who is depicted as "a strong woman with her own career.

[27] Inspired by Ricky Ricardo from the sitcom I Love Lucy, of whom Cosby was a fan,[30] much of the show's humor would have been directly derived from Clair's tendency to revert to her native language Spanish when upset or agitated.

[31] Camille and executive producers Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner eventually convinced Cosby that the series should feature a family that resembled their own more closely, specifically headed by a pair of successful parents with white-collar professions.

[34] In addition to appearances on both television and Broadway, Rashad had a recurring role as Courtney Wright on the soap opera One Life to Live before Cosby personally selected her to play his character's wife.

[18] The sixth season episode "Off to See the Wretched", in which Clair yells at Vanessa for traveling to Baltimore to see a rock concert against her parents' orders, features Rashad's most "uncontrolled" performance as the character.

"[24] In the aftermath of a highly publicized article published in TV Guide before the series premiered that labeled Cosby "one of the most arrogant celebrities",[40] Rashad took over the majority of the show's promotional appearances herself.

[43] Actress Clarice Taylor auditioned for the role of Carrie,[44] deliberately making herself over in attempt to look young enough to play Rashad's mother before Cosby ultimately cast her as his own character's.

To avoid having to add an infant to the main cast, extreme tactics were used to conceal the actress' pregnancy onscreen, such as confining Clair to bed or having her be out of town for several episodes at a time.

[29] Scooped out,[46] the bed's mattress was specially constructed to prevent Rashad's growing stomach from being visible underneath the covers but ultimately resulted in the actress suffering a pinched nerve in her back.

[36] Clair believes that playing a serious mother on television has helped her have more fun in real life, explaining that she realized the bedroom of her own son, Billy, was merely "typical" in comparison to that of Theo's.

[24] Clair is also shown to be a talented singer – she performs a duet with musician Stevie Wonder in the episode "A Touch of Wonder" –[48] dancer and multilinguist, capable of speaking Spanish and Portuguese in addition to English.

[59] The Cosby Show is famous for rarely discussing political or controversial topics;[13][72] it spends significantly more time openly addressing Clair's role as "a woman who 'has it all'", maintaining a successful career while raising a family,[73] than it does the race of its characters.

"[65] According to Vox writer Lauren Williams, the character reinforces "that pursuing such a demanding career and having a family were not mutually exclusive",[60] seldom hesitating to challenge anyone who doubts her ability to maintain both.

[78] One of the series' more political moments, Clair refuses to be exploited as "the token black woman" on a morning talk show discussing the Great Depression during the episode "Mrs. Huxtable Goes to Kindergarten", a position she accepts under the impression that she would be appreciated for her experience as a lawyer.

as a personal favorite, specifically lauding Rashad's pronunciation of "tacky barrette" and "her hairpin turn when Cliff's real gift is revealed that shows that next dimension that always pushed Clair to the top of the heap.

[39] Reviewing the character's conversation about pregnancy and marriage with Denise in season three's "The Shower", Slate's Aisha Harris wrote "written realistically and delivered beautifully by Rashad, the moment attains a level of artistry that spot-on TV lessons rarely reach.

"[83] Robert Weintraub of The New York Times hailed Rashad as "America’s mom, dispensing tough love with a straight face opposite Cosby’s comic mugging".

[37] Jason Bailey of Slate wrote that Rashad portrayed her character "majestically",[26] while The Huffington Post's Mlsee Harris praised the actress for playing Clair "with class and poise from 1984 through 1992.

"[17] US Weekly recognized Clair as "one of TV's first working mothers",[57] while NewNowNext's Brian Juergens credits the character with making the 1980s a "boom time for great sitcom moms" by "breaking the mold in an essential way".

[101] SheKnows contributor Cynthia Boris recognized Clair as a mother television audiences had "never seen before -- a beautiful, successful, working mom who was an African American" and "a positive role model ... every young woman could aspire to.

[111] Similarly, New Jersey 101.5 ranked Clair the second "coolest" television mother, identifying "her role as a pioneering, family-balancing professional" as "a positive one in a sea of dysfunctional TV families.

[15] According to Paste, Clair is the second "Funniest TV Mom"; recognizing her "flawless" insults, author Anita George described her famous rants as "the stuff of comedy legend", explaining, "it’s not just because the words themselves are elegant and witty.

[75] Conversely, in recent times Cosby's controversial history with women has caused some contemporary critics to question his intentions behind creating a character like Clair in the wake of a series of sexual assault allegations made against the comedian.

"[111] John Teti, contributing to The A. V. Club, agreed that "Clair Huxtable’s legacy remains intact" despite "the snowballing disgrace of its star has made The Cosby Show less of a wholesome memory than it once was".

[113] Rachel Desantis of the New York Daily News concluded, "No matter the off-screen drama surrounding her on-screen husband, Clair remains a vital slice of pop culture history".

[72] Dubbed the "feminist rant" by media publications,[54] Clair's speech to future son-in-law Elvin about gender roles and equality in marriage in the episode "Cliff in Love" is often lauded as one of the character's greatest moments,[60][119] to which the studio audience responded with enthusiastic applause.

[121] Patrice Evans of Jezebel wrote that although "Michelle Obama might be taking the baton as the quintessential symbol of the professional black woman/doting mother ... she'll still need Barack to win a second term before she can approach the status of Clair Huxtable.

"[123] Several critics have acknowledged Clair's influence on female African American lawyers Olivia Pope and Annalise Keating from the television dramas Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, respectively.

[54] Crediting Clair with pioneering "the feminist, TV lawyer", the character's impact extends to include Diane Lockhart from The Good Wife and Abby Whelan from Scandal.