‘Cosby Show’s Geoffrey Owens Sparks Debate After Donating Nicki Minaj’s $25K ‘Handout’ to Charity

Geoffrey Owens’ response to a $25,000 gift from Nicki Minaj is sparking conversation after The Cosby Show alum admitted he struggles “every day to make [his] ends meet.”

Owens, who played Elvin Tibideaux on the beloved sitcom, opened up about his financial status on V-103 Atlanta’s Big Tigger Morning Show last month, having gone viral in 2018 for working at Trader Joe’s during a tough time in his career.

Owens, 63, revealed in the Dec. 12 morning show appearance that he received a $25,000 check from the “Starships” artist, 42, after his story made headlines, but he admitted he actually donated the money to charity instead of keeping it for himself.

“It was a very generous, lovely handout,” Owens said. “But I wasn’t comfortable with that.” He continued, “If she had paid me $25,000 to do something. I would have said, ‘Thank you for the work, I accept.’”

Owens didn’t find Minaj’s gesture “inappropriate,” and he insisted that his donation didn’t mean he was “not grateful” to the rapper. “I felt like, well, yeah, I’m in need to a certain amount extent,” he explained, “but there are other people that are much more in need of this money than I am.”

Owens’ story earned mixed responses online, with one person writing on X (formerly Twitter), “Dude let pride get in the way of his blessing.” Another agreed, “They always say pride goes before a fall. Keep the money Geoffrey. Nothing wrong with accepting help when you need it. Why insult someone who’s trying to help you?”

Others saw Owens’ point of view. “He’s a man of honor. He needs steady work, that’s all,” one X user noted. “He would have probably felt like a failure keeping Nicki’s money.” Another added, “I actually get this. I think he thought he would be back on his feet quicker that he was and I get the idea that since he didn’t feel like he “earned” it he felt awkward about accepting it. Hindsight is always 20/20 but I get how he thought he was doing the right thing at the time.”

Owens noted that despite the initial wave of support for him in 2018, he still has a tough time making a living. “Even today, right now, as we speak, I still struggle to make a living. I struggle every day to make my ends meet,” he admitted. “And people can’t get their heads around that because they see me in movies, whether it’s Mr. Santa or, you know, I’m on Poppa’s House on CBS. All the TV shows I’ve done and all that stuff. People have the impression that, ‘Well, you’re making a lot of money. What’s the problem? Why would you have financial troubles?’ They don’t understand the specifics of how my industry works.”