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Geoffrey Owens doesn't want anyone feeling bad for him because he's working at Trader Joe's or because he was shamed for it by media outlets that thought his position as a cashier was newsworthy.
"No one should feel sorry for me, either from a positive or a negative perspective," the former "Cosby Show" star told Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" Tuesday. "I've had a great life, I've had a great career and I've had a career that most actors would die for, so no one has to feel sorry for me. I'm doing fine."
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Hollywood Bashes Fox News for Shaming 'Cosby Show' Star Geoffrey Owens Over Trader Joe's Job
View StoryThe 57-year-old actor appeared on the ABC morning show to talk about his newfound celebrity status that has skyrocketed since a picture of him working at the grocery store went viral last week.
"I feel like I'm more of a celebrity now than when I actually was a celebrity," he said, referring to his 44-episode run on "The Cosby Show" between 1985 and 1992 as Elvin Tibideaux, the husband of Cosby kid Sondra Huxtable. He's since racked up a total of 41 credits as an actor. Most recently, he's booked roles on CBS crime drama "Elementary," NBC drama "The Blacklist," HBO dramedy "Divorce" and even Fox drama "Lucifer."
He came to talk to Roberts with a simple lesson everyone watching could learn from the situation. "There is no job that is better than another job," he said. "Every job is worth while and valuable, and if we have a rethinking abut that because of what's happened to me, that would be great."
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View StoryOwens said he has been working at Trader Joe's for 15 months and was recognized daily by customers before his employment at the grocery chain became national news. He explained he took the job after years of teaching because he liked the flexibility of the schedule that allowed him to continue pursuing acting work.
Although he had a very positive outlook on all of the attention he was getting for simply holding down a job, he did feel like was being shamed for working for an hourly wage, but was quickly relieved by the outpouring of support from Hollywood and beyond. "I was really devastated," he said. "Fortunately, the shame part didn't last very long."
"I really want to thank everybody out there. Family, friends, Hollywood community and the general public for the incredible support they've shown for me," he said. "It's really astounding."
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