He’s here, and sporting his Trader Joe’s nametag. Former Cosby Show actor Geoffrey Owens about to speak on @GMA after being shamed online for working at a grocery store. pic.twitter.com/aQxFDGQTkG — T.J. Holmes (@tjholmes) September 4, 2018

By Jessica Remo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Karma Lawrence, the woman who snuck a picture of former "Cosby Show" actor Geoffrey Owens as he cashed out her groceries at an N.J. Trader Joe’s, is filled with regret.

The photo — and the story of Owens working at the supermarket — went viral after Lawrence submitted them to a few celebrity websites and the Daily Mail published them.

The story was buoyed by fellow actors who chimed in on social media to say there was no shame in being a working actor, emphasis on the "working," and to share the gigs they’ve worked to pay the bills.

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That’s when the vitriol began in earnest. Lawrence’s inbox and social media profiles overfloweth with hate mail. One person photoshopped devil horns on her head. Others had all sorts of fun with her first name.

“So much hate. So much nastiness. Oh, it’s been terrible,” Lawrence said in an interview with NJ Advance Media on Tuesday. “They write Karma’s a b****. It’s bad.”

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This #LaborDay, we honor #geoffreyowens and ALL of the hard-working actors who work 1, 2, 3 day jobs in order to pay the bills, take care of their families & still work to entertain us. #ActorsWithDayJobs, share yours loud and proud! We’re here for you! https://t.co/9ZGmrefHeK — SAG-AFTRA Foundation (@sagaftraFOUND) September 3, 2018

So why’d she do it? Because she reads Hollywood websites and sees paparazzi shots all the time, she said.

“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 says she had no idea she’d start a firestorm of conversation about “job shaming” and meant no ill will.

You just don’t expect to see the guy from "The Cosby Show" working at your Trader Joe’s is all.

(And no, she says, she wasn’t paid by any outlet for the photos nor was she looking to be paid.)

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After the first angry message, Lawrence did a Google search and realized the story had gone viral. She read the backlash. Then she cried for a half-hour.

“It wasn’t malicious,” she swears. “That’s on my kids, my grandkids, my parents. I’m not that type of a person. I’m not the monster they’re making me out to be.”

Lawrence has since turned off all of her social media profiles. She can't sleep. She can’t get over that she could have unintentionally hurt a man she loved as a kid, calling "The Cosby Show" “her favorite” and Owens’ character Elvin “goofy and funny.”

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Again, why is this news? When I worked on “Thirtysomething” I was also summarizing depositions to pay my rent. Why are you trying to humiliate this honorable, hardworking actor? Shame on you! #geoffreyowens - many great blessings are coming your way! https://t.co/8tgvW3iixr — Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) September 2, 2018

She also loves Trader Joe’s and sees no shame in Owens working there.

“They have the best stuff,” Lawrence said. “When I saw him working there I thought maybe because of everything with Bill Cosby that his residuals got cut. And people have to take a normal job. But I didn’t think anything bad about it. I work a normal job."

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#NOSHAME in good, honest, hard work. He’s being a man in doing what he needs to do to provide for himself and his family. Much respect to you Sir! https://t.co/rQoNdnj6bd — Blair Underwood (@BlairUnderwood) September 2, 2018

Still, she gets it now. She sees how the photo, Owens in a stained shirt, candid, could be embarrassing.

“I actually wanted to go up to him and say something, but I thought, you might embarrass him,” Lawrence said. “But then I did something that actually embarrassed him more. I didn’t go with my first instinct, and I should’ve. I should’ve.”

Lawrence has thought about reaching out to Owens, though she isn’t sure how.

"I would tell him, ‘I am extremely, extremely apologetic about what has happened,’” she said. “And if I could take it back, I would.”

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#GeoffreyOwens I’m about to start shootings OWN’s number one drama next week! Come join us!!! I have so much respect for people who hustle between gigs. The measure of a true artist. — Tyler Perry (@tylerperry) September 4, 2018

Owens appeared on "Good Morning America" on Tuesday morning, where he thanked folks for “all the amazing support” and joked that the photos were part of his preparation for a role as Falstaff in Henry IV, set in a grocery store.

He wore his Yale cap (he’s an alum and has taught acting there), along with his Trader Joe’s nametag.

Owens said he needed a side job with flexibility to help pay the bills when funds from acting, teaching acting and directing didn't add up. His IMDB profile includes recent appearances in HBO's "Divorce," CBS's "Elementary," and the Showtime hit "The Affair," among others.

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Geoffrey Owens has on his @Yale hat AND Trader Joe’s badge. This is a thinkpiece in one picture pic.twitter.com/w4P9ot2Ue6 — Exavier Pope (@exavierpope) September 4, 2018

“I didn’t advertise that I was at Trader Joe's, not because I was ashamed of it,” he said, “but because I didn’t want the entertainment community to decide, well, he’s doing that, he's not pursuing acting anymore.”

Owens said he worked at the grocery chain for about 15 months and had been recognized every day by shoppers. He’s since quit amid the fracas, but Trader Joe’s has said they would welcome him back any time.

“I feel like I’m more of a celebrity now than I’ve ever been,” he said. “No one should feel sorry for me. I’ve had a great life. I’ve had a great career.”

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In response to the news story about Geoffrey Owens, people have been tweeting supportive messages saying he's a great Shakespeare actor and teacher. Details about his classes here: https://t.co/0IUgE90OAb pic.twitter.com/jofepEcMCp — Shakespeare Magazine (@UKShakespeare) September 1, 2018

And he sees a silver lining, too, in having elevated a conversation about the meaning of work and the difficulties of being a professional actor.

“This business of my being the 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 rethinking about what it means to work, the honor of the working person and the dignity of work,” he said. “A reevaluation of the idea that some jobs are better than others, because that's actually not true. ... 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 kind of a rethinking about that because of what's happened to me, that would be great.”

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"Good Morning America" co-host Robin Roberts interviews "The Cosby Show" actor Geoffrey Owens on Tuesday in New York. (Paula Lobo/ABC)

Paula Lobo

Read more

'Cosby Show' actor Geoffrey Owens says he quit N.J. Trader Joe's after 'devastating' job-shaming

Stop shaming 'Cosby Show' actor for working at N.J. Trader Joe's, internet says

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Jessica Remo may be reached at jremo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaRemoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.