This image released by ABC shows co-host Robin Roberts, left, with “The Cosby Show” actor Geoffrey Owens during an interview on “Good Morning America,” Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018, in New York. (Paula Lobo/ABC via AP)
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The woman who took photos of a former regular on “The Cosby Show” while he worked at a New Jersey grocery store says she’s filled with regret over the uproar they caused.
Karma Lawrence tells NJ.com she took the photos on impulse and meant no ill will toward Geoffrey Owens.
“I don’t know why I snuck a picture,” said Lawrence, 50. “I figured everybody does it. I don’t know what possessed me. I just did it. I didn’t even think about it. I just kind of did it on impulse and it was a bad impulse.”
She closed her social media accounts after her photos showed up on news sites and she received “so much hate. So much nastiness.”
Owens played Elvin Tibideaux, the husband of the eldest daughter of Bill Cosby’s character on the TV show. The photos showed him at a register scanning items at a New Jersey Trader Joe’s complete with a “Geoffrey” name tag, but he no longer works there.
Numerous actors and members of the public voiced support for Owens, saying there’s no shame in being a working actor.
