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Mike Rowe, James Woods among kind celebs who reached out to ‘Cosby Show’ actor job-shamed for working Trader Joe’s

September 5, 2018 | | Print Article

Mike Rowe tipped his hat to former “Cosby Show” actor Geoffrey Owens after critics tried to shame him for working at Trader Joe’s.

The “Dirty Jobs” star gave Owens a shout out on Facebook, telling him that “you more than qualify” as a person of character after how he handled the attack.

Owens, who played Bill Cosby’s son-in-law Elvin on “The Cosby Show,” was spotted at the New Jersey grocery store where a photo of him at work went viral, unleashing many comments about how far the 57-year-old actor had fallen from fame.

But, as Owens explained on “Good Morning America” Tuesday to anchor Robin Roberts, people need a re-evaluation of the idea that some jobs are better than others.

“This business of my being this ‘Cosby’ guy who got shamed for working at Trader Joe’s, that’s going to pass. … But I hope what doesn’t pass is this idea … this rethinking about what it means to work, the honor of the working person and the dignity of work,” he said Tuesday. “And, I hope that this period that we’re in now, where we have a heightened sensitivity about that and a re-evaluation of what it means to work, and a re-evaluation of the idea that some jobs are better than others, because that’s actually not true.

“There is no job that’s better than another job,” he continued. “It might pay better, it might have better benefits, it might look better on a resume and on paper, but actually it’s not better. Every job is worthwhile and valuable, and if we have a kind of a rethinking about that because of what’s happened to me, that would be great,” he added.

Owens was praised by many who were impressed with this attitude and handling of the situation.

Rowe reached out to the actor after he “saw the #drama over the weekend.”

“Saw the drama over the weekend. Read the articles. Watched the interviews. Fascinating,” Rowe said, explaining his work ethic scholarship program and asking Owens to join in.

“Thanks for what you’ve done, and for what you’re doing. And good luck with whatever comes next,” Rowe wrote.

Owens urged fans not to feel sorry for him even though he admitted he took on the Trader Joe’s job to make ends meet in between acting jobs.

“But no one should feel sorry for me, either from a positive or a negative perspective. I’ve had a great life, I’ve had a great career, and I’ve had a career that most actors would die for,” he told Roberts.

In fact, it wasn’t long before the job offers appeared with Tyler Perry reaching out to Owens.

“I wouldn’t feel comfortable getting acting jobs from this event,” Owens told Roberts. “I wouldn’t mind getting auditions, I don’t mind if people call me in to try out for things, due to what’s happened, but I actually wouldn’t feel comfortable (with) someone giving me a job because this happened. I want to get a job because I’m the right person for that job.”

As the actor has been inundated with a show of support after the attempt to job-shame him, so too has Mike Rowe found an outpouring of praise for reaching out.

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Frieda Powers
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