*Geoffrey Owens revealed in a new interview that he donated $25,000 given to him by Nicki Minaj when she heard about his financial struggles in 2018.
As we reported earlier, Owens, best known for his role as Elvin Tibideaux on “The Cosby Show,” recently opened up about his ongoing hardships and working at Trader Joe’s to make ends meet. 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.
Nicki was so moved by his story that she donated $25,000 to help him. During a recent interview with Atlanta’s V-103 “Big Tigger Morning Show,” Owens revealed he put the money towards the Actor’s Fund in honor of the late Earle Hyman, who played Cliff Huxtable’s father on “The Cosby Show.”
“At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do,” Owens said. “If Nicki Minaj had hired me for a project and paid me $25,000, I would have thanked her for the work. But this felt different.” He referred to her gesture as a “handout.”
“I struggle every day to make my ends meet,” Owens continued.
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“It was a handout.”
Actor Geoffrey Owens, known from The Cosby Show, explains why he donated the $25,000 he received from Nicki Minaj to charity after footage emerged of him working at Trader Joe’s and says he still struggles to make money.
(? V-103 Atlanta/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/fVgQshSaYu
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“People can’t get their heads around that because they see me in movies…People have the impression, ‘Well, you’re making a lot of money, what’s the problem? Why would you have financial troubles?’ They don’t understand the specifics of how my industry works,” he said.
Owens explained that he worked 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.
Owens told Big Tigger that he left Trader Joe’s before his photos went viral six years ago.
“I quit Trader Joe’s actually before the news hit,” Owens said. “It was strange because someone had been in the store taking pictures… And I was like, well now that this is breaking, I’m not going to feel comfortable working in this store wondering who is around with a camera. It would just be too weird. I’m a very private person.”
He added, “It wasn’t like I quit knowing I would be making a lot of money soon or anything. I just felt like I wasn’t going to be able to handle that kind of scrutiny, that kind of attack on my privacy.”
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: ‘Cosby Show’ Star Geoffrey Owens Reveals Ongoing Financial Struggles After 2018 Viral Trader Joe’s Photos
