Starving Actor! Former ‘Cosby Show’ Star Now Works As Trader Joe’s Cashier
Faded Cosby Show star Geoffrey Owens is now a “starving actor” working as a cashier at Trader Joe’s!
An exclusive RadarOnline.com investigation discovered Owens — who played Elvin Tibideaux on the long-running sitcom — scanning groceries in Clifton, N.J., for around $11 an hour.
Wearing an ID badge bearing his name, the balding 57-year-old sported a stained Trader Joe’s T-shirt while manning his post.
“He looked bloated and unhappy,” noted shopper Karma Lawrence, 50, a medical secretary.
Despite his grim mood, Owens politely wished Lawrence “a good day” after ringing up her items, she said.
Still, she was shocked to see him.
“It made me feel really bad. I was like, ‘Wow! All those years of doing the show and you ended up as a cashier,’” Lawrence said.
Owens played oldest daughter Sondra Huxtable’s boyfriend-then-husband on the NBC show from 1985 to 1992.
But after the series ended, he found himself on the outside, according to his aging mother, Ethel.
“He was the star of the show, but they forgot about him after it went off the air!” Ethel — who shares a two-story home with Owens in nearby Montclair — told RadarOnline.com.
But Trader Joe’s customers still recognize him, she said.
“They come up and say they remember him from their childhoods,” Ethel said.
After Cosby, Owens landed sporadic guest spot TV gigs.
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He’s also had bit parts in the 2018 short film Fizzle and on TV’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
When RadarOnline.com called Owens and asked about Trader Joe’s, he slammed down the phone, but responded the next day to list his recent acting jobs, including teaching a Shakespearean workshop in New York City.
Said Lawrence: “I would have thought after The Cosby Show he would maybe be doing something different. Other fans would be surprised as well.”
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