Actor Geoffrey Owens was spotted working at a Clifton, NJ, Trader Joe's, twenty-six years after being a regular on "The Cosby Show". Why this is considered news says more about sneering classicism and racism on the part of the conservative outlet.
Fox News Attacks Cosby Actor For Working At Trader Joe's
September 2, 2018

"The Cosby Show" was very much a cultural phenomenon in the late '80s and early '90s, really spearheading the concept of "Must See TV" back in the day. Few shows break through and stay at the top of the ratings like that.

Actor Geoffrey Owens was lucky (and talented) enough to be part of that bottled lightning. He played Elvin, the husband of Cosby's eldest daughter (and father to Cosby's grandchildren). That's the kind of job that actors dream of: being part of a top-rated show with a cast and crew at the height of their game.

That was also 26 years ago. "The Cosby Show" is long gone. Reruns had pretty consistently aired since Cosby shuttered production in 1992, but were pulled after Bill Cosby was charged with sexual assault. (In truth, most actors, unless they have some sort of producer credit or deal, only see residuals from reruns for the first few times the shows are aired).

Owens has kept working, though. His IMDb credits show a decent level of consistency, mostly doing episodic work. He also taught acting classes for other aspiring actors.

But acting gigs are sporadic. That's the nature of it. It's hard to raise a family on inconsistency of finding work (trust me, freelancing is a tough way to survive). SAG/AFTRA estimates that fewer than 20 percent of their membership are making over $100K/year. Many actors supplement their income with second and third jobs that allow them the flexibility to audition, but provide steady income (and health benefits).

So that's why it's so curious that Fox News thought that Geoffrey Owens working at a Trader Joe's is actually newsworthy.

Twitter responded accordingly:

There is nothing newsworthy nor shameful about Geoffrey Owens working at Trader Joe's. In point of fact, Trader Joe's has a reputation of excellent treatment of their employees and benefits.

I'd rather work for Trader Joe's than Fox News any day. And on Labor Day weekend, Fox News ought to realize that Owens is contributing more positively to the nation than they ever will.

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