*Geoffrey Owens, best known for his role as Elvin Tibideaux on “The Cosby Show,” recently opened up about his financial struggles and working at Trader Joe’s.
In 2018, a viral photo of him bagging groceries sparked mockery, but he later received widespread support. The moment led to new acting opportunities, with roles in “The Haves and the Have Nots,” “Power,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “Billions,” and “All Rise.” He currently stars in Poppa’s House and appeared in Mr. Santa: A Christmas Extravaganza.
Owens, 63, stopped by Atlanta’s V-103 radio station, where he praised the grocery chain and addressed the negative reactions on social media to him working there, Daily Mail reports.
“At first, there was some negative stuff about basically the job-shaming,” he said. “But then, very soon after that, there was all this support and encouragement from all over the world.”
Geoffrey also noted that despite his successful acting career, he still faces financial hardship.
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Owens explained that he had to work at Trader Joe’s because his residuals from “The Cosby Show” were minimal, as he only appeared in about 20% of the episodes.
“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.”
Owens told PEOPLE in 2018 that after the Trader Joe’s images of him surfaced online, he immediately contacted his son, who he was worried would feel ashamed.
“I remember I texted my son and I thought he was going to be terribly embarrassed by it all and I kind of apologized to him. He texted me back right away a very beautiful response that meant a lot to me about how proud he was of the choice I’d made to work at Trader Joe’s. At that point I knew everything was going to be okay,” Owens said.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Geoffrey Owens Shares ‘Surprising’ Supportive Message He Received from Son After Being Job-Shamed [WATCH]
