*The woman who took Geoffrey Owens‘ photo at Trader Joe’s and shared it online now says she is full of regret.
In an interview with NJ.com, Karma Lawrence,50, apologized to the 57-year-old “Cosby Show” alum after the Daily Mail and Fox News published her photos of him bagging groceries in New Jersey last week.
“I don’t know why I snuck a picture,” said Lawrence. “I figured everybody does it. I don’t know what possessed me. I just did it. I didn’t even think about it. I just kind of did it on impulse and it was a bad impulse.”
“I actually wanted to go up to him and say something, but I thought, you might embarrass him,” she continued. “But then I did something that actually embarrassed him more. I didn’t go with my first instinct, and I should’ve.”
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Lawrence — who wasn’t paid for the photos, according to PEOPLE, — said once she realized the images had gone viral, with many job-shaming Owens for earning an honest living, she cried.
“It wasn’t malicious,” she said. “That’s on my kids, my grandkids, my parents. I’m not that type of a person. I’m not the monster they’re making me out to be.”
“When I saw him working there I thought maybe because of everything with Bill Cosby that his residuals got cut,” she continued. “And people have to take a normal job. But I didn’t think anything bad about it. I work a normal job.”
Lawrence thought about reaching out to the actor… “I would tell him, ‘I am extremely, extremely apologetic about what has happened,’ ” she said. “And if I could take it back, I would.”
Appearing on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday proudly wearing his Trader Joe’s name tag, Owens said he was “really devastated” at first — until he was moved by the tremendous support from fans and actors.
“The period of devastation was so short because so shortly after that, the responses, my wife and I started to read [them] … and fortunately the shame part didn’t last very long,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
Owens played Elvin Tiabideaux in 44 episodes on the Cosby Show from 1985 to 1992. He’s was working at Trader Joe’s for 15 months before his picture went viral over Labor Day weekend. On “GMA,” the TV star noted that he’s been teaching acting and directing for years.
He also explained that he’s not ashamed of working at the grocery store because: “Every job is worthwhile and valuable.”
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