Yahoo Lifestyle Years After A Viral Photo Of Him Working At Trader Joe’s Prompted Widespread Mockery, “The Cosby Show” Actor Geoffrey Owens Revealed That He Still Struggles To Make A Living
Back in 2018, The Cosby Show actor Geoffrey Owens was photographed working at Trader Joe’s.
Geoffrey played Elvin Tibideaux in the Emmy-award-winning sitcom, which aired on NBC between 1984 and 1992.
Sadly, the photo of Geoffrey bagging items at the grocery store quickly prompted a heap of mockery online — and before long, the actor addressed the criticism during an appearance on Good Morning America.
Geoffrey revealed that he’d worked at the store for over a year but quit as soon as the image went viral. “This business of my being this Cosby guy who got shamed for working at Trader Joe’s, that’s going to pass,” he said. “But I hope what doesn’t pass is this idea that people are now thinking, this rethinking of what it means to work, the honor of the working person and the dignity of work.”
Geoffrey noted that while he was initially “devastated” when the photo went viral, he ended up receiving tons of supportive messages from people “all over the world.”
“My wife and I started to read these responses from literally all over the world of support, and so, fortunately, the shame part didn’t last very long. It hurt, but then it’s just amazing,” he said.
“There is no job that's better than another job,” he went on. “It might pay better. It might have better benefits. It might look better on a resume and on paper, but actually it's not better. Every job is worthwhile and valuable.”
These remarks from Geoffrey — who has had several acting jobs since his time on The Cosby Show — ended up sparking a broader conversation around actors who also work “normal” jobs in order to make ends meet.
Fast forward six years, and Geoffrey is looking back on the viral moment.
During a recent appearance on the V-103 Atlanta radio station, Geoffrey recalled quitting his “wonderful” job at Trader Joe’s because of all the “scrutiny” he faced when people found out he was working there.
“I quit. It wasn’t that I quit knowing I’d be making a lot of money soon or anything. I just felt like I wasn’t going to be able to handle that scrutiny, that kind of attack on my privacy. But Trader Joe's was a wonderful job,” he said.
Geoffrey went on to reveal that he still struggles to make ends meet today.
“Even today, right now, as we speak, I still struggle to make a living,” he said. “I struggle every day to make my ends meet, and people can’t get their heads around that because they see me in movies.”
“People have the impression, ‘You’re making a lot of money. What’s the problem? Why are you having financial troubles?’ They don't understand the specifics of how my industry works,” he said before clarifying that he doesn’t receive “wonderful” residual payments for his time on The Cosby Show.
You can listen to Geoffrey’s full interview here.
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