It’s been six years since actor Geoffrey Owens made headlines due to the viral photo of him bagging groceries at Trader Joe’s, which ultimately led to new opportunities. However, the brave star admits that despite all of the positive things that came out of that moment, he’s still struggling behind the scenes.
While appearing on Atlanta’s V-103 radio station, the beloved Cosby Show actor looked back at the 2018 moment when social media users mocked him for having a “regular job.” He stated, “At first, there was some negative stuff about basically the job-shaming. A ‘where is he now’ kinda thing. But then, very soon after that, there was all this support and encouragement from all over the world.” After news broke, Owens had to quit his grocery store job. He said, “It wasn’t like I quit knowing I would be making a lot of money soon or anything,” he explained. “I just felt like I wasn’t going to be able to handle that kind of scrutiny and attack on my privacy.”
Around that time, he received tons of love and support, including donations such as $25K from Nicki Minaj, although he reportedly donated that sum to charity. “At the time it seemed like the right thing to do.” Since then, the Yale University graduate and son of a former New York congressman has landed a few great acting roles, including on Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots and the 50 Cent-produced Power. Despite his success, he shared that he still faces financial hardship. “Even today, right now, as we speak, I still struggle to make a living.” The 66-year-old went on to say,
“I struggle every day to make my ends meet. And people can’t get their heads around that because they see me in movies.”
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Owens continued by breaking down his residual checks, explaining that they “were never particularly wonderful” because he only acted in “maybe 20% of shows” on the hit series. “People have a false impression of what the average middle-class actor makes and their ability to make a living in the industry,” Owens said.
Although he’s still dealing with financial challenges, fans are happy to hear that he has not given up on his passion for acting. Owens currently stars on the CBS sitcom “Poppa’s House,” alongside Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr.
