Geoffrey Owens’ income took a hit when Bill Cosby’s sexual assault scandal caused networks to pull ‘The Cosby Show’ from syndication.
No syndication = no royalty checks.
via Page Six:
“Yes, it impacted me financially,” Owens explained to People of his royalty checks. “At the time that the show was pulled, that did make a difference in our income.”
“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 for me in many ways,” he added.
Last week, after 15 months of working at Trader Joe’s in New Jersey, a customer spotted Owens and snapped a photo. Then the media blitz came.
“I just had to do something to support myself and my family,” he added.
But while some outlets shamed Owens, his story quickly turned around. He received a mountain of support from fellow actors.
Tyler Perry eventually spoke up, offering Owens a 10-episode deal on his OWN drama, “The Haves and the Have Nots.”
Owens has since accepted the offer and shooting is set to begin this week.
Despite the opportunity, Owens recognizes he still may need to go back to Trader Joe’s some day.
He explained that acting is calling. “I’m going to keep pursuing it,” he said. “I’m going to persevere. And even if that means, that eventually when all this hoopla dies down, I might need to take another job outside of the business. I’m still willing to do that.
SMH. Bill’s out here messing up everyone’s money.
