Who Is Geoffrey Owens? ‘The Cosby Show’ Actor Photographed Bagging Groceries

Over the past weekend, Daily Mail and Fox News came under fire for running a story about actor Geoffrey Louis Owens who was spotted bagging groceries at a supermarket in New Jersey.

Owens is an actor and director famous for “The Cosby Show”, “The Paper” (1994) and “Romeo and Juliet” (2014), according to IMDB. He is most familiar for his role as Elvin Tibideaux, a young doctor who married into the Cosby family, in the “The Cosby Show” which was aired from 1985 to 1992.

The 57-year-old actor was photographed behind the counter weighing potatoes at a Trader Joe’s in Clifton, New Jersey, on Saturday. Daily Mail published an article based on it with the headline “ From learning lines to serving the long line!”

According to the Daily Mail article, the actor was spotted behind the counter wearing a stained Trader Joe’s t-shirt with the name tag “Geoffrey”. Soon after, Fox News picked up the story as well.

"I was just in Trader Joe's and I said to my wife, I said, 'Wait a minute, that's the guy from The Cosby Show,'" Karma Lawrence, the woman who clicked the photograph told Daily Mail. “I would have thought after The Cosby Show he would maybe be doing something different. … 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 articles received huge backlash from social media users and celebrities.

Some pointed out the actor was still acting. Recently he appeared in some episodes of TV series’ like “Lucifer” (2017), “The Blacklist” (2017) and “Elementary” (2018). Earlier on, he has also acted in shows like “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (2007 to 2011) and “That's So Raven” (2007).

Others pointed out that it was wrong to make news out of a man who was simply trying to get by in life.

“Again, why is this news? When I worked on 'Thirtysomething' I was also summarizing depositions to pay my rent. Why are you trying to humiliate this honorable, hardworking actor? Shame on you! #geoffreyowens - many great blessings are coming your way!” Patricia Heaton, known for her role of Debra Barone on the CBS sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond", said.

Many commented on their own experiences and spoke about how an actor’s work can be sporadic and so they have to take up other jobs to supplement their lives.

“In 2008, I left a job at KTTV voluntarily. Then the economy crashed & I couldn’t find steady work. I struggled. At one point I called my agent & told her I was going to apply at Target. I wasn’t ashamed. I needed to work. I had bills. And an honest day's work is just that, honest,” Nischelle Turner, an entertainment correspondent for HLN and CNN, said on Twitter.

Owens is the son of former Congressman Major Owens. He graduated from Yale in 1983. He used to teach at Primary Stages and Columbia University. He also starred in Broadway shows. He married Josette Huber in 1995 and the couple has one child.