Originally appeared on E! Online
Geoffrey Owens' response to a star's generous offering is raising eyebrows.
After he admitted to experiencing financial hardships back in 2018, the "Cosby Show" alum — who played Elvin Tibideaux on the classic sitcom — received a check for $25,000 from Nicki Minaj to help him get back on track. But Owens recently admitted that he didn't keep her "handout" for himself, instead donating the money to charity.
"It was a very generous, lovely handout,” Owens said during a Dec. 12 appearance on "V-103 Atlanta's Big Tigger Morning Show." “But I wasn’t comfortable with that.”
For the 63-year-old — who confessed to struggling to "make ends meet" after he was spotted working at a Trader Joe's in 2018 — taking Minaj's money without earning it through a job didn't feel right at the time.
"If she had paid me $25,000 to do something," Owens explained, "I would have said, 'Thank you for the work, I accept.'"
Clarifying that he didn't find her gesture "inappropriate" and insisting his rejection didn't mean he was "not grateful," the "Hide and Seek" actor went on to provide some insight into why he chose to give the money to a charity.
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"I felt like, well, yeah, I'm in need to a certain amount extent," he continued, "but there are other people that are much more in need of this money than I am."
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And fans had mixed emotions about Geoffrey's choice, with some arguing he let his pride get in the way of a good opportunity.
“I hope no one gives Geoffrey Owens another dime," one user wrote on X. "Too prideful to accept her money, but takes pride in talking about how he’s still struggling financially. Foolish damn pride.”
Others believed that the actor's decision was the mark of good character. As one X user wrote, "Man makes the money money doesn’t make the man. If you don’t/havent learn(ed) the value of hard work you’re in for a tough time in this life when money doesn’t fulfill you. Earning on your own feels better than getting a handout and let’s be real $25k isn’t a lot anyway."
Another added, "He seems like an honest and humble hard working man that really wants to actually WORK for his money. That's an admiral trait."
