Cosby Show's Geoffrey Owens Shares Life Update After Trader Joe's Job

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No job is too small for Geoffrey Owens.

That's why the Cosby Show alum returned to work at Trader Joe's after he was job-shamed by online critics in 2018.

"Trader Joe's was a wonderful job," he said in a recent interview with V-103 Atlanta's Big Tigger Morning Show. "I've gone back there since all happened. And basically, I asked for hours to work there again."

While Geoffrey didn't specify if he is still an employee at the grocery store, he did share insight into why he initially left his post amid "scrutiny" over his day job.

"I'm a very private person," he explained. "It wasn't like I quit knowing that I was going to be making a lot of money soon or anything. I just felt like I wasn't going to be able to handle that kind of attack on my privacy."

But the 63-year-old has no problem working for an honest pay. After all, as he put it, his residual checks from The Cosby Show were "never particularly wonderful."

"I did maybe 20 percent of the show," he noted. "People have a false you impression of what the average middle class actor makes and their ability to make a living in the industry. That's what drove me to work at Trader Joe's to begin with."

Geoffrey continued, "But honestly, I'm not much better off now."

In fact, the actor—whose recent credits include Poppa's House and Mr. Santa: A Christmas Extravaganza—said he's still dealing with financial hardships.

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"Even today, right now, as we speak, I still struggle to make a living," he shared. "I struggle every day to make my ends meet. And people can't get their heads around that because they see me in movies."

Still, Geoffrey is "not complaining" about his situation.

"I'm grateful for the work I have," he added. "I work more than a lot of people do, so I got to keep perspective."

But he isn't the only performer with a day job. Keep reading to find out who else in Hollywood have an offscreen side hustle.

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Noah Schnapp

Lifeguard on duty!

When the Stranger Things star isn't battling supernatural beings in the Upside Down, he spends his time saving others in another way. In an interview with Flaunt magazine, the 17-year-old revealed he has a part time job as a lifeguard at his local pool during the summer.

"It's kind of a 'just for fun thing,'" he explained. "I've kind of grown up with a normal life and normal friends and stuff outside of Stranger Things, so it's kind of kept me grounded."

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Erik von Detten

In the late '90s and early '00s, von Detten captured the hearts of teens everywhere thanks to his roles in Escape to Witch Mountain, Brink! and The Princess Diaries. But after last acting credit in 2010 (a voiceover in Toy Story 3), ), von Detten's career trajectory took a turn, landing him in the financial industry. 

"Simultaneously when things started to slow down in acting in my early 20s, another opportunity presented itself for me with a company that I started working with at age 25," von Detten shared in a rare interview with E! last year. "And I've been with that company ever since. It's a sales position with a company working in finance. I've grown into a management position and it's worked out really well."

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Nikki Blonsky

Several years after starring in the 2007 movie adaptation of Hairspray, the Golden Globe nominee made headlines when it as reported she was working as a makeup artist at a beauty salon on Long Island. 

"Its true Im workin@ Superstar Salon as a makeup artist & more Im proud 2 b workin & helpin pay bills," Blonsky tweeted in 2011. "BUT ill NEVER loose sight of my dreams."

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Erik Estrada

After starring as California Highway Patrol officer Ponch on TV series CHiPs, which ran from 1977 to 1983, Estrada went on to become a reserve police officer for the Muncie Police Department in Indiana. The actor later moved to Virginia, where he worked as an investigator for the I.C.A.C. (Internet Crimes Against Children) before once again working as a reserve police officer in St. Anthony, Idaho in 2016.

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Clayton Snyder

Ethan Craft serving as your real estate agent? That's what dreams are made of!

The Lizzie McGuire heartthrob chose not to pursue a career in acting after the Disney Channel series ended. Why? He wanted to focus on water polo, later playing for California's Pepperdine University.

"Frankly, when the show wrapped up, I was kind of thankful," Snyder admitted to E! News in April. "I was like, 'Okay, phew, going into high school, new chapter, that's done. We're going to see what this is going to be like.'"

Snyder now works in real estate in Los Angeles, though his past as a child star does occasionally come up.

"I would really like it to be you want to work with me because I'm really good at what I do and if it's a nice piece of trivia that I'm 'that guy' then that's wonderful," he said. "We've had plenty of clients of where halfway through showing them homes they're like, 'My wife and I just found out who you are and we can't believe it!' But that makes me feel good because I know that's not why they're working with me."

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Kevin Jonas

We bet you didn't know that the oldest Jonas Brother owned and operated his own construction company in New Jersey during The Jonas Brothers' eight-year hiatus? Plus, he also became the co-CEO of The Blu Market, an influencer marketing company.

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Charlie Korsmo

The child actor, known for his turn in Hook and the teen drama Can't Hardly Wait, left Hollywood behind to become a lawyer. And now, heis also a professor of corporate law and corporate finance at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland.

President Barack Obama nominated Korsmo as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation in 2011.

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Peter Orstrum

Yep, Charlie gave up the chocolate factory.

Ostrum made his acting debut as Charlie Bucket in 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, which would ultimately be his only onscreen role. After graduating from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1984, Ostrum went on to become a veterinarian.

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Jennifer Stone

The Wizards of Waverly Place scenestealer traded in her character Harper Finkle's funky wardrobe for a pair of scrubs when she became a registered nurse in 2019. The former Disney Channel actress then joined the health care workers who are on the front lines fighting against coronavirus.

"A very good friend of mine (@maiarawalsh ) pointed out to me that today is #worldhealthday . It is also the day I went from a volunteer, then a student nurse, and now an RN resident," Stone shared on Instagram in 2020. "I just hope to live up to all of the amazing healthcare providers on the front lines now as I get ready to join them."

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Ross Bagley

The former child star, known for his roles as Buckwheat in The Little Rascals and Nicky Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, now works as a real estate agent in Los Angeles.

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Jeff Cohen

So long, Truffle Shuffle, hello, habeus corpus.

After playing Chunk in the classic '80s movie The Goonies, Cohen quit acting to become an attorney and now works as an entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles.

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Teddy Dunn

After his one-season stint as the brooding Duncan Kane on Veronica Mars, Dunn became a lawyer and currently serves as an Assistant United States Attorney at the United States Attorney's Office District of Columbia.

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Phoebe Cates

Known for her breakout turn (and pool exit) in The Fast Times at Ridgemont High, as well as her roles in Gremlins and Drop Dead Fred, Cates left the acting world behind in the '90s after welcoming two children with her husband, actor Kevin Kline.

Cates went on to open Blue Tree, a gift boutique on New York City's Madison Avenue, in 2005.

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Reed Alexander

Following his time as Nevel on the popular Nickelodeon series iCarly, Alexander went on to become a journalist, working for outlets such as Business Insider and the Wall Street Journal.

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