Geoffrey Owens says Bill Cosby scandal has affected his finances

Geoffrey Owens said Bill Cosby's scandal was just one of the factors that led him to look for work outside his industry, including the grocery store at Trader Joe's.

Owens, 57, was receiving royalties from The Cosby Show for years. But when Cosby, 81, was charged and convicted of sexual assault, the covers were removed from the syndications and the checks stopped.

"Yes, it had a financial impact on me," Owens told PEOPLE exclusively. "By the time the show was shot, it made a difference in our income. That was one of the things that led me to where I thought, "I have to do something," and I asked myself, "What can I do?" make? makes it a wonderful situation for me in many ways. But I got to the point, I had to do something to support myself and my family.

After a customer took a picture of Owens, who played Elvin Tibideaux on The Cosby Show from 1985 to 1992, working for Joe's trader from New Jersey, the actor says he was beyond "pain".

"I felt really humiliated," says Owens about the photo. "As soon as I heard that the article could be published by the time it was published, I tried to imagine the worst possible scenario, just to prepare myself and then c & # 39; Was just a little worse. If it was possible. They went out of their way to find the worst photo of me, in the worst shirt and the worst posture. The words they used to describe me were so devaluing. It hurts."

And while The Cosby Show star has benefited financially from the success of the series, he knew not to bank his entire career as a result.

"I did not think I was ready for life," he says. "I did not think about it. I was single at the time, no family and The Cosby Show I paid a little money for a single person who did not even expect to be on TV and who was just happy to do theater. I felt like I had a lot of money, but I live for life, no. But I was fine.

He adds, "I always expected that, one way or another, I work and earn my living. Whether it's to teach, to direct, to play, to do a little job here or to do a little job there, then I tie it up. I had not planned to work in a place like Trader Joe's, as big as this place. I did not plan to leave the company to work, but I thought that within the company, I would set up a modest way of life, at least enough to pass. "

Owens, who has since participated in several shows including Divorced, It's always sunny in Philadelphia, The secret life of an American teenager and Built to last, says that regular roles are rare.

"What's fun is that I never go too long without booking something, which is not a surprise, the only problem is that the things I reserve last a day or two days to the maximum, "he says. "I'll book something for a day, but I will not work three or four months."

But he could not be happier with the life he's leading now.

"No, I would not want to [change my life]He adds, saying that playing is "my vocation". I will continue to pursue it. I will persevere. And even if it means that eventually, when all will be lost, I may need another job outside of the company. I am always ready to do it.