Actor Geoffrey Owens attends the The SAG-AFTRA Foundation 3rd Patron of the Artists Awards in Los Angeles, California, on November 8, 2018. (Photo by Lisa O'Connor | AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
A 1980s and ‘90s television star says he’s struggling to make ends after he was famously spotted working at a grocery store.
“The Cosby Show” actor Geoffrey Owens revealed in a new interview with Atlanta’s V-103 radio station that he “still struggle(s) to make a living” despite continuing to appear in movies and TV shows.
“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 said. “People have a false impression of what the average middle-class actor makes and their ability to make a living in the industry.”
The New York Post reports Owens, who played Elvin Tibideaux on Bill Cosby’s Emmy-winning series, went viral in 2018 when he was seen working at a Trader Joe’s cash register. The son of former New York congressman Major Owens said he didn’t make a lot of money from residual checks even before Cosby’s scandal because he only appeared in “maybe 20%” of the episodes over the show’s eight-year run.
The 63-year-old actor told V-103 that he quit the “regular” job at Trader Joe’s because he was worried about an invasion of his privacy. He saw some negative “job shaming” comments, but also received a lot of support and encouragement; Nicki Minaj sent him $25,000, but he told the radio station he donated the money to a charity because it “didn’t feel right to keep it.”
Owens said he later went back to working at Trader Joe’s because money was still tight, despite continuing to act today. His credits include “The Paper,” “Law & Order,” “Medium,” “Elementary,” “Power,” “The Good Fight,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Ghosts” and the new CBS sitcom “Poppa’s House,” starring Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr.
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