John Owen Lowe learned about dad Rob Lowe's sex tape from a classmate
There was one moment in Rob Lowe's life that he was really hoping to avoid talking about with his two children.
The 9-1-1: Lone Star actor's son John Owen, who stars alongside his dad in the upcoming Netflix series Unstable, said that he first learned about his dad's infamous 1988 sex tape scandal not from his parents, but from a classmate at school.
"I was in eighth grade or freshman year of high school, and some kid said, 'You know, your dad has a sex tape online,'" he told Men's Health. "I was like, what?"
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images Rob and John Owen Lowe
In fact, John Owen said that he and his older brother Matthew weren't advised on anything that their parents — Rob and wife Sheryl Berkoff — did throughout the entirety of the '80s, tape included.
"You know what it's kind of like? Santa Claus," John Owen continued. "I don't think most parents ever have that moment where they sit the kids down and go, 'Okay, we've got to tell you something.' A kid just figures it out. There weren't milestone markers, like, 'Okay, he's 16 now, time for them to learn about this part of our life!'"
Rob added, "Wikipedia and Google took care of that for us."
The St. Elmo's Fire star was 24 years old when he recorded a sex tape with two partners — one of whom was 16 — during the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta which was later leaked, per the Los Angeles Times. Rob, who claimed that he did not know the girl was underage, served 20 hours of community service in order to avoid further legal action, per CBS News.
In the years since, Rob has poked fun at the sex tape on Saturday Night Live and in an advertisement for his Comedy Central roast in 2016. While visiting SiriusXM's "The Jess Cagle Show" in October 2019, he called the scandal "the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Honestly, I do, 'cause it got me sober," Rob said. "Sober got me married. I've been married 29 years, and I have two great sons. I don't think any of that happens without going through that scandal. I really don't."
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
