How Cosby Show Alum Geoffrey Owens Lost So Much Of His Money

Geoffrey Owens is a familiar face to almost anyone who grew up with a TV set in the '80s and '90s. But playing Elvin Tibideaux on "The Cosby Show" for nearly a decade didn't guarantee the actor an enduring life of prosperity. Despite the success of the sitcom, Owens struggled to find consistent work in its aftermath — a common phenomenon among TV actors. And then his financial situation received a major blow when "The Cosby Show" was pulled from syndication in 2014.

Owens' financial strains were put in the spotlight in 2018, when a customer photographed the former "Cosby Show" star working at a Trader Joe's in New Jersey. "It was a shock to see him working there and looking the way he did," the customer told the Daily Mail, which published the pictures. "It made me feel really bad. I was like, 'Wow, all those years of doing the show and you ended up as a cashier.'" The outlet received backlash for shaming the actor, and the customer later admitted she regretted her actions.

Shortly after, Owens broke his silence over being shamed for the Trader Joe's job. "It was hurtful but very short-lived. What has been sustained, now over days, is how much love and support there is," he told CNN. "Not just for me, but for working people. The idea that, 'Hey, what's wrong with working at Trader Joe's, or any job like that?'" The attention he received put Owens back on producers' radars, but his money issues persisted.

After it became known he had joined the list of celebs that ended up working regular jobs, Geoffrey Owens received an offer from Tyler Perry to star on "The Haves and the Have Nots," and other acting opportunities soon followed. But the increased workload he took on after the incident didn't solve his financial problems. "Even today, right now, as we speak, I still struggle to make a living. I struggle every day to make my ends meet," he said on "V-103 Atlanta's "Big Tigger Morning Show" in December 2024.

This revelation might surprise TV fans, but that's because regular folks don't understand how the industry works. "People have a false impression of what the average what I call 'middle-class actor' makes and their ability to make a living in the industry," Owens explained. According to Zip Recruiter, the average actor makes $27 an hour, a little under $57,000 a year. That's below the average salary in the U.S. of $63,795. Besides, Owens has largely only worked short-term gigs, lasting 10 weeks or under, since "The Cosby Show."

Owens also suffered from lost income when several networks canceled reruns of the sitcom following renewed public attention to Bill Cosby's sexual assault scandals in 2014. "That was one of the elements that led to my getting to the place where I said to myself, 'I have to do something,'" he told People of his decision to look for work outside of the entertainment industry.