John Owen Lowe reveals how he discovered dad Rob Lowe's infamous 1988 sex tape at school
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA: John Owen Lowe, Rob Lowe's 28-year-old son, said that he first found about his father's sex tape when he was “in eighth grade or freshman year of high school” from a classmate. Recalling the moment he discovered the former 'Brat Pack' member’s infamous sex tape, which leaked in 1988, John narrated, “some kid said, ‘You know, your dad has a sex tape online.’ I was like, ‘What?’”
In an interview with Men’s Health, John, who stars alongside his father in the upcoming Netflix comedy 'Unstable,' said that his father and mother, Sheryl Berkoff, never spoke to him and his older brother Matthew Edward Lowe about the explicit recording. He said, “You know what it’s kind of like? Santa Claus. 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!’” But added, "Wikipedia and Google took care of that for us."
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Rob Lowe's 1988 sex tape scandal
More than two decades ago, on July 17, 1988, Rob picked 16-year-old Lena Jan Parsons (known as Jan), and her 23-year-old friend, Tara Seburt, at the nearby Club Rio and took them to Atlanta Hilton where the sex scene was taped. Following the sex, Rob apparently passed out and the women took $200, a bottle of pills, and the tape from the actor’s hotel room, according to Associated Press.
'Best thing that ever happened to me'
However, the tape was leaked and it led to a major scandal. Lena Arlene Wilson, the father of 16-year-old, filed a lawsuit on May 12, 1989, seeking unspecified civil damages from Rob for the alleged seduction of his daughter, reports UPI. Rob said he didn't know that Jan was underage and ultimately settled the lawsuit and was not charged with a crime.
During SiriusXM's 'The Jess Cagle Show' in October 2019, the actor said that the scandal was "the best thing that ever happened to me." He explained, as per People, that he "invented" the sex tape, but he said "the problem" was that he "didn't make any money off of it like everybody does now". He described how it made him sober. He said, "It's one of the reasons why I got sober. I woke up one day and I was like, 'What am I doing with my life?' I'm 29 years in and like people talk, but it's the best thing that ever happened to me. Honestly, I do because it got me sober, 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."