A Great Lesson Learned in Shaming Actor Geoffrey Owens of “The Cosby Show”

Greg Lewis
Sep 5, 2018 · 3 min read

With the advent of Labor Day so close, it could not have been more ironic that actor Geoffrey Owens, who formely played “Alvin” for five seasons on “The Cosby Show”, would be publicly shamed for now having a job bagging groceries at a Trader Joe’s in suburban New Jersey. The Daily Mail article originally appeared online August 30, written with thinly veiled glee that an actor who previously appeared on a hit tv show was now a lowly bagger in a suburban supermarket. After the article was picked up by Fox News, the story went viral on social media.

Owens was spotted by Karma Lawrence, a medical secretary from New Jersey who was kind enough to photograph him (in a stained shirt complete with “Geoffrey” nametag) before alerting the media to Owens apparent fall from grace. She added: ‘I used to watch The Cosby Show all the time; it was my favorite show. I would have thought after The Cosby Show he would maybe be doing something different.” The implicit statement being “live off his sitcom riches” or “move on to bigger and better things”.

To add insult to injury, the article noted that when Lawrence first spoke to her wife she said, “It looks like him. He’s a little heavier.” Apparently stunned that not only is he bagging groceries, he also doesn’t look exactly the same as 25 years ago (i.e. he’s gotten fat). Strange that she didn’t say something like “at least he’s not a sexual predator like his costar Bill Cosby”.

As a writer who is often uncompensated for my work, and who also has to work a full time job to pay the bills, I deeply sympathize with Owens. Artists are laborers too. The article brings to light a startling reality for most people who are not actors or creatives who have experienced what it is like to work from assignment to assignment, often without consistency. The popular misconception is that all actors are highly compensated, most certainly ones that appear on a top rated television show for a number of seasons.

An assortment of actors were quick to rush to Owens defense after learning of his being demeaned by the article, not only offering support, but also stories of their own struggles between high profile gigs. Among them were other 80s tv stars, Justine Bateman and Blair Underwood. Athlete turned actor Terry Crews wrote of sweeping floors after the NFL. Most notably, A-lister Tyler Perry tweeted that he would offer Owens a paying acting gig on one of his shows on OWN.

After his role on “Cosby” ended in 1992, Owens has gone on to appear on a number of tv shows, among them “Law & Order,” “Blue Bloods,” “Lucifer, “The Blacklist” and a recurring role on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”. So not only has he continued working as an actor, the Yale graduate has also taught acting and directing.

Interviewed today by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, Owens said about the incident, “Every job is worthwhile and valuable, and if we have a rethinking about that because of what has happened to me, that would be great.”

I applaud Owens, not only for making an honest living but also for the dignity with which he has handled the whole media situation as well. The old adage “any publicity is good publicity” may work to Owens advantage now. Variety, People Magazine, CNN and virtually every other media outlet has interviewed or requested interviews with him. With any luck this incident will lead to more paying acting work for him. Hopefully it will spark a more thoughtful reflection on not just the worth of actors or artists, but of all people who work for a living.

If you are an artist of any kind who often has to find other work in between paying gigs, please give a clap for this article.

Greg Lewis

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I'm a writer and photographer living in sunny Los Angeles. I also work for a tech company. Feel free to say hello.

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