A former star of The Cosby Show has shared that he is facing financial difficulties after leaving his grocery store job due to concerns over his privacy being invaded.
Geoffrey Owens, well-known for portraying Elvin Tibideaux on The Cosby Show, has also acted in films such as “The Paper” from 1994 and appeared in “Fizzle” in 2020.
The 63-year-old became the subject of media attention in 2018 when a shopper photographed him working at a Trader Joe’s, bagging groceries.
The picture quickly went viral, prompting some social media users to ridicule Owens for taking on what they perceived as a ‘normal’ job.
Despite this, many people expressed support and appreciation for Owens’ decision to embark on a new career path.
Owens has now disclosed that he has left the position at Trader Joe’s and is experiencing financial challenges as a result.
During a conversation with Atlanta’s V-103 radio station earlier this month, the actor said: “Even today, right now, as we speak, I still struggle to make a living. I struggle every day to make my ends meet. And people can’t get their heads around that because they see me in movies.”
“People have a false impression of what the average middle-class actor makes and their ability to make a living in the industry,” Owens added.
“Initially, there was some negativity about the job shaming, like a ‘where is he now’ kind of thing,” he continued.
“But very soon after, there was an outpouring of support and encouragement from around the world.”
Owens ultimately decided to leave the job due to privacy concerns.
“It was strange because someone had been in the store taking pictures. And I was like, 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,” Owens explained.
“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 and attack on my privacy,” he added.
In an interview with People magazine, Owens reflected on his experience at Trader Joe’s.
“That was one of the elements that led to my getting to the place where I said to myself, ‘I have to do something’ and I was thinking, ‘What can I do?’ and the answer ended up being Trader Joe’s, which is actually a wonderful situation