Geoffrey Owens says his acting career has been revived after picture of him working at Trader Joe’s went viral in 2018
Geoffrey Owens, 'The Cosby Show' alum who went viral last year, has revealed that the photo that was circulated of him during the Labor Day weekend and the outpouring of love that followed immediately after has brought him many opportunities.
During an interview with Us Weekly, Owens said that he has "absolutely" been embraced by Hollywood after it went public that he was out of work in the industry and had taken up a job at a Trader Joe's in New Jersey, working as a cashier and bagging groceries.
“The outpouring of love and support, and practical support in the form of employment as well, has been extremely generous and much appreciated,” the 58-year-old Yale Graduate said, adding, “Tyler [Perry] is leading the way, of course, with that offer of work on the 'Haves and the Have Nots'. Nicki Minaj was very generous and gave me a very generous gift, which I then turned over to the actor’s fund of actor’s equity. I made a donation to them of her generous gifts.”
Further reinstating that a lot of people's “goodwill” and “faith” has translated to a lot of doors opening for him, Owens said 'NCIS: New Orleans' offered him some work right off. "And as well as the offers, I was able to actually just have the opportunity to audition for a number of things that I got work on through auditions just because of the opportunity.”
Owens, who most of us remember as Elvin Tibideaux from 'The Cosby Show' had initially been mocked after the photo of his earning an honest living went viral, but many people, including celebrities such as 'The Family Ties' alum Justine Bateman came to his defense.
He claims that despite the fact that many people found him working there funny or ridiculous, he was happy with his job, and found it difficult to actually leave when Hollywood came knocking again.
“I did love the job. It was very good for me and it’s such a great place to work and [has] wonderful people. I go there once a week,” he explained. “I shop there, that’s my grocery store. So, I’m there, I see my old friends all the time, actually. A few times a month at least, say hello to a lot of people.”