Rob Lowe’s son John Owen shared the unusual way he found out his famous dad had a sextape.
John, 28, revealed he stumbled upon the information about his father’s infamous tape, 58, filmed during the 1988 Democratic National Convention when he was a teenager, in a new interview with Men’s Health published Tuesday.
“I was in eighth grade or freshman year of high school, and a kid said, ‘You know, your dad has a sex tape online,'” the young actor recalled. ‘I was like, ‘What?’
He added that the West Wing star and his mother, jewelry designer Sheryl Berkoff, 61, have never spoken to him or his older brother Matthew, 30, about the explicit bond.
Rob was 24 years old when his date with two women, one 22 and the other 16, was leaked to the press. In 1989, he faced a lawsuit from the mother of the 16-year-old girl involved. The actor denied knowing she was a minor.
Unpleasant! Rob Lowe’s son John Owen, 28, has shared that while he was at school he learned about his famous father, 58,’s sex tape that was filmed in 1988; Rob and John pictured in 2022
His past: Rob was 24 when his rendezvous with two women, one 22 and the other 16, leaked to the press. The actor denied knowing that the girl was underage; Pictured 1982
Although the girl was of legal age at the time, she wasn’t old enough to be filmed. He eventually settled a legal dispute with the girl’s family and was not charged with a crime.
John continued, “You know how it is? Santa Claus. I don’t think most parents ever have that moment where they sit their kids down and say, “Okay, we have to tell you something.” A kid just finds out.”
“There weren’t any milestones like, ‘OK, he’s 16 now, time for her to learn about this part of our lives!'”
Lowe jokingly interjected, “Wikipedia and Google did that for us.”
Lowe rose to fame in the 1980s, when he also began drinking heavily and partying to cope with his overnight success.
By the time he was an A-list leading man, appearing in 10 films from 1983 to 1988, the tape took him to the edge of Hollywood and pushed him to rock bottom.
He previously shared during an interview on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show in 2019 that the sextape experience actually helped him on his road to sobriety.
“I think it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” the actor said.
Surprise! “I was in eighth grade or freshman year of high school, and a kid said, ‘You know, your dad has a sex tape online,'” the young actor recalled. ‘I was like, ‘What?’; Pictured 2020
Parents: He added that the West Wing star and his mother, Sheryl Berkoff, 61, have never spoken to him or his older brother Matthew, 30, about the explicit bond; Rob and Sheryl pictured in 2019
Family: “There weren’t any milestones like, ‘OK, he’s 16 now, time for her to learn about this part of our lives!'” he shared; (LR) John, Rob, Sheryl and Matthew pictured in 2016
“Honestly, I’m doing this because it sobered me up. Sober married me. I’ve been married 29 years and have two amazing sons, so I don’t think any of this can happen without going through this scandal,” he said.
“That was one of the reasons I got sober. I woke up one day and thought, “What am I doing with my life? 29 years later.”
With an addiction to drugs and alcohol, he entered rehab in 1990 at the age of 25 and has been sober ever since.
“Giving an 18-year-old man fame, money, and drugs isn’t a great recipe for success,” Lowe said, referring to his fame. “And expect nothing to go wrong.”
Rob also joked that he “invented” the sextape, but said “the problem” is that he “didn’t make any money off it like everyone is doing now”.
John has followed in his father’s footsteps into an acting career. The duo starred together in the 2015 sitcom The Grinder and in the 2019 romance film Holiday in the Wild.
They will next be seen together in the upcoming series Unstable, about an eccentric biotech genius who needs the support of his estranged son to save the family business.
The series is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on March 30.
Collaboration: John followed in his father’s footsteps into acting. The duo will next be seen in the series Unstable, which premieres March 30 on Netflix; Pictured in a still image