After being job-shamed last September over working at Trader Joe’s, former Cosby Show actor, Geoffrey Owens was invited to share his story in the “I Am an Actor” segment during the opening of 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night.
Following Mike Myers, Owens, who had been working at a New Jersey Trader Joe’s to make ends meet, revealed how hard it was for him to get to where he is as an actor.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“Somewhere in the middle of the road of my life, I found myself in the dark woods of unemployment and debt,” Owens said after the crowd gave him a lengthy round of applause. “But instead of switching careers like a sane person, I took a job at Trader Joe’s to see if I could hang in there. And um, it’s actually worked out pretty well. I’m Geoffrey Owens and I’m an actor.”
While the crowds in the auditorium were cheering and applauding, fans at home watching the ceremony took to Twitter to share their enthusiasm over the moment and happiness for the guild to invite him.
“Geoffrey Owens’s ‘I Am an Actor’ was the best version of that bit ever done at this show,” one user wrote, while another echoed the sentiment, writing how it was a “great call.”
I’ve given up on #rentlive at the moment to watch the #SAGAwards and am glad I did mainly for this Geoffrey Owens cameo!! Elvin is perfect. pic.twitter.com/0OY2P1dgSG
— Michelle Collins (@michcoll) January 28, 2019
Geoffrey Owens’s “I Am an Actor” was the best version of that bit ever done at this show. #SAGAwards
— Rachel King (@rachelking) January 28, 2019
Wow Geoffrey Owens. That was a great call. #SAGAwards
— Kristopher Tapley (@kristapley) January 28, 2019
Legitimately teared up a bit at the ovation for Geoffrey Owens. So cool. #SAGAwards pic.twitter.com/2hvViMLcFb
— Britni (@brit_tweets) January 28, 2019
Geoffrey Owens (of Cosby Show and Trader Joe’s fame) chosen to do one of the “I am an actor” speeches to kick off #SAGAwards — nice touch. He got a huge ovation from his peers
— Susan Stumme (@sstummeafp) January 28, 2019
The 57-year-old is best known as Elvin Tibideaux on The Cosby Show from 1985 to 1992, and has since appeared on a number of shows, including Divorce, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Built to Last. However, last fall, a few news sites shamed him for bagging groceries at the store, and revealing photos of him hard at work. This prompted several of his peers to speak out and lend their support.
Since the controversy, Owens has quit Trader Joe’s and is now starring on Tyler Perry’s OWN drama, the Have and Have Nots.
