Geoffrey Owens shares update 6 years after going viral for working at Trader Joe’s

Geoffrey Owens is giving fans an update about his life as a working actor.

In 2018, Owens went viral after he was seen working at Trader Joe’s following his high-profile gig on “The Cosby Show.” Though Owens has booked roles since then and had celebrities rally around him in support, he says he’s still struggling to make ends meet as an actor.

“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 during a recent appearance on V-103 Atlanta’s “Big Tigger Morning Show.”

“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,” he continued. “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.”

It’s unclear how much money Owens makes from acting. 2023 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the average hourly wage for actors is $41, with a median hourly wage of $20.

“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,” he said.

In the interview, Owens said he quit working at Trader Joe’s shortly after the photos of him working were taken, due to privacy concerns. As the story started to gain traction, Owens said he experienced fame like never before.

“For two weeks or more, I was like one of the most famous people in the world,” he said. “… Everywhere I went, people recognized me.”

Thanks to the story, Owens started to get opportunities and support from various celebrities, such as Tyler Perry, who offered him a role on his show “The Haves and the Have Nots.” Owens said Nicki Minaj gifted him $25,000, but he donated the money because “at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do.”

Owens went on play Conley in “The Haves and the Have Nots” and appeared in TV shows including “Power Book II: Ghost” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

Owens told TODAY in a 2018 essay that he’s grateful for how everything worked out.

“Never at any point in this whole story did I have any ill will or bad feelings toward (the woman who photographed me at Trader Joe’s),” he said. “I don’t still. We’re cool. I forgive her totally. Everybody makes mistakes. And her mistake turned out for a lot of good. Ultimately, I’m grateful for it having happened, even though it happened in a weird way. I’m grateful to be where I am now.