Nicki Minaj finally made good on her promise to give former Cosby Show actor Geoffrey Owens $25,000. She offered the lump of cash to Owens on Queen Radio on Sept. 6, after she handed the two women who photographed him working at Trader Joe’s the Cock Sucka of the Day award.
On her Beats 1 show, Minaj blasted Karma Lawrence and her wife Yanelle for taking photos and shaming the actor at his current job, something they’ve denied trying to do. "I'm not that type of a person," Lawrence said, speaking with NJ.com. "I'm not the monster they're making me out to be."
Owens himself remained relatively unbothered by the viral news, while people poured out their support to him online. "This business of my being the Cosby guy who got shamed for working at Trader Joe's, that’s going to pass, in some measure of time, that's going to pass away," Owens told Good Morning America. "But I hope what doesn't pass is this idea that people are now rethinking what it means to work, you know, the honor of the working person and the dignity of work.”
Since then, Owens landed a 10-episode gig on Tyler Perry's new show The Haves and the Have Nots. Minaj wanted to help by giving him money, which Owens decided to donate in full, per his statement to TMZ, which you can read below:
"I would like to give this donation of 25k to the Actor’s Fund in memory of the late, great Earle Hyman -- who played Cosby’s father, ‘Russell’, on The Cosby Show -- who lived his last many years and died at the Actors’ Home, (funded and run by the Actor’s Fund). I am extremely grateful to Nicki Minaj for enabling struggling actors to continue pursuing their dreams."
Nicki approved of Owens' donation, telling the tabloid, "I'm happy to be a part of a great cause. I wish Geoffrey much success and want him to know how loved he is. Rest in Peace to Earle Hyman."
