'The Cosby Show' actor Geoffrey Owens 'struggling' to make living as 'middle-class actor'

Six years after making headlines for working at a Trader Joe's, "The Cosby Show" actor Geoffrey Owens is opening up once more about the reality of being a "middle-class actor."

During an interview with Atlanta radio station V-103 earlier this month, Owens − who was promoting his new film, "Mr. Santa: A Christmas Extravaganza" − said he is still struggling to make a living.

"I struggle every day to make my ends meet," the 63-year-old Owens said. "People have a false impression of what the average, what I call 'middle-class actor' makes, and their ability to make a living in the industry."

The average salary for an actor was about $62,000 in 2023, according to the U.S. Labor of Bureau Statistics, although it's unclear exactly what Owens makes. This included actors who participate in theatrical performances, in addition to television, radio, video and film productions.

Owens shares the screen in "Mr. Santa: A Christmas Extravaganza" with Tommy Davidson. Directed by Noel Calloway, the family-friendly Christmas movie is about a substitute teacher, known as Mr. Santa, arriving days before a high school's Christmas show.

Looking back at his Trader Joe's moment

Popularly known for playing Elvin Tibideaux on "The Cosby Show," Owens made headlines in 2018 after a shopper snapped photos of him working at the register at a Trader Joe's grocery store in New Jersey.

Many social media users viewed the circulation of photos by outlets like Fox News and Daily Mail as job shaming, but countless celebrities shared their support for Owen's "good, honest work," like former NFL player and actor Terry Crews.

Rapper Nicki Minaj even gifted $25,000 to Owens, who ended up donating the lump sum to the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly the Actors Fund), in honor of Earle Hyman, who played Bill Cosby's father, Russell Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," according to USA TODAY reporting.

During his V-103 interview, Owens said he was recognized in public more often following the Trader Joe's news than he was while actively playing in "The Cosby Show" during the 1980s and '90s.

He also unveiled during his interview that he had quit working at Trader Joe's right after the shopper snapped his photo and before the news broke, because he anticipated the reaction.

"It wasn't like I quit because I knew I was going to be making a lot of money soon or anything," Owens said. "I just felt like I wasn't going to be able to handle that kind of scrutiny, that kind of attack on my privacy basically."

What has Geoffrey Owens been in since 'The Cosby Show'?

Though he most famously known for his role in "The Cosby Show," in which he appeared in 128 episodes between 1985-1992, according to IMDb, Owens has played countless characters in other television shows and movies.

Owens is also known for his role as Lou in the 1994 comedy-drama, "The Paper," and Rob Marcus in the 2009 romantic comedy "Play the Game." Most recently, Owens has played as J.J. in the CBS sitcom, "Poppa's House."

He's also appeared in smaller roles in popular television series like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "NCIS: New Orleans," "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and "That's So Raven," starring Raven-Symoné, who also starred in "The Cosby Show."

Contributing: Cydney Henderson

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Geoffrey Owens: 'The Cosby Show' actor still struggles to make living