Actor Geoffrey Owens known for his role as Elvin Tibideaux on the six-time Emmy-winning TV series The Cosby Show opens up about still struggling to make ends meet everyday.
This comes after he had taken a job at the grocery store Trader Joe’s and had to quit after being filmed working at the cashier as it was an attack on his privacy.
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The actor spoke about it on radio
Appearing as a guest on V-103 Atlanta radio station, the actor opened up about his financial struggles after having to quit his job at the grocery store.
“Even today, right now, as we speak, I still struggle to make a living,” he shared.
He’s not better off now
Owens shared that he’s not doing better now than he was when someone had posted a picture of him working behind the cashier register back in 2018.
“I struggle every day to make my ends meet,” the actor said frankly.
People are usually shocked by this
Owens shared that people don’t usually believe him when he says that he struggles to make ends meet, saying that most people have a false idea of the money most actors make.
“And people can’t get their heads around that because they see me in movies,” he added.
Checks from his shows aren’t that high
The actor added that residual checks from his shows “were not particularly wonderful.”
Owens also pointed out that people wrongly perceive the amount of money actors actually make, saying, “People have a false impression of what the average middle-class actor makes and their ability to make a living in the industry.”
Owens had taken a regular job
The actor had taken a regular every-day job working at Trader Joe’s until someone filmed him at work and he had to quit.
“At first, there was some negative stuff about basically the job shaming. A ‘where is he now’ kinda thing,” the Yale University graduate said.
Owens later had to quit
“But then, very soon after that, there was all this support and encouragement from all over the world,” he added while speaking to V-103.
The actor shared that he had to quit afterwards as he was worried his privacy was being invaded.
Owens explained the situation
“It was strange because someone had been in the store taking pictures,” he recalled, before adding, “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.”
He didn’t feel comfortable at work
Following being photographed behind the register, the actor didn’t feel comfortable at work anymore as he would always be wondering if someone else was filming him.
“It would just be too weird. I’m a very private person,” the actor said.
He hadn’t planned on quitting
“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,” Owens shared.
Owens received support after that
When the pictures went viral and the news broke out, the actor received a lot of offers to work on projects like Tyler Perry’s show The Haves and the Have Nots and the shows Power produced by 50-cent as well as Power Book II: Ghost.
Owens now also stars on Poppa’s House, the CBS sitcom starring Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr.
