Overview
- On Thursday Rob Lowe told Andy Cohen that he was “the only person happy” when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock because he hoped the 2022 incident would become the worst Oscars moment and overshadow his 1989 opening number.
- Lowe’s 1989 “Proud Mary” Oscars performance was broadly derided, drew public letters of protest from industry figures and prompted a Disney lawsuit over use of a character.
- Reporting revived details of a separate 1988 episode in Atlanta in which Lowe recorded a sexual encounter with a 16-year-old; authorities investigated, Lowe entered a pretrial intervention program and he was not prosecuted.
- The 2022 Smith–Rock onstage altercation followed a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, led to Smith’s apology and resignation and resulted in a 10-year ban from Academy events that remains in place.
- Lowe has spoken about entering rehab and staying sober since 1990, rebuilding a TV career, and his recent comments illustrate how awards-show scandals are repeatedly reframed by celebrities and the media.