More than six years ago, an actor from The Cosby Show left his job at Trader Joe's after fans spotted him and took pictures that went viral. These days, Geoffrey Owens says he's still having issues getting by after that "attack on my privacy," per the New York Post. "Even today, right now, as we speak, I still struggle to make a living," the 63-year-old, who played Elvin Tibideaux on the '80s sitcom, told V-103 Atlanta in a Dec. 18 broadcast. "I struggle every day to make my ends meet. And people can't get their heads around that, because they see me in movies."
Owens added that "people have a false impression of what the average ... middle-class actor makes and their ability to make a living in the industry." He notes that his residual checks from the NBC program weren't "particularly wonderful" (he says he only appeared in about one-fifth of the total episodes of Cosby) and he took a hit when the shows were pulled from syndication over Bill Cosby's legal troubles. Owens said that after the photos of him at Trader Joe's started circulating in 2018, he knew he couldn't keep working there. "I'm not gonna feel comfortable working in this store wondering who's around with a camera," he said. "It's gonna be just too weird. I'm a very private person."
He added that he didn't feel he could "handle that kind of scrutiny." Owens revealed that after the hubbub died down, he did quietly return to Trader Joe's to earn some extra cash, as well as accept dozens of acting gigs to get him through. He's currently co-starring in CBS' Poppa's House, with Damon Wayans. Owens also had an offer for help from a rather big fan: Nicki Minaj, who tried to gift him $25,000 after the Trader Joe's commotion. Owens was "extremely grateful" to the rapper, but he opted to donate the money to charity. More on that here. (More Geoffrey Owens stories.)
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