Key Takeaways
- Rob Lowe joked that he was “the only person happy” when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock because he thought the incident would replace his 1989 opening number as the worst moment in Oscars history.
- Lowe said people still drag his widely mocked “Proud Mary” performance with Snow White nearly four decades later, quipping that “there should be a statute of limitations.”
- The actor noted that Lucille Ball praised his singing afterward and songwriter John Fogerty liked the performance, while Smith’s slap led to his Academy resignation and a 10-year ban from its events.
Rob Lowe says he was relieved when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars—not because of anything involving Smith or Rock, but because Lowe thought Hollywood had finally found an Academy Awards moment more infamous than his own.
“When Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, I was the only person happy,” Lowe said on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live. “Because I was like, ‘Oh, good. So now that’s the worst moment in Oscar history.’”
According to Lowe, however, the infamous slap still hasn’t displaced the 1989 Oscars opening number that has followed him for nearly four decades. “Turns out I still am dragged, dragged every year.”
Lowe was referring to the bizarre production number that paired him with an actress playing Snow White for a rendition of “Proud Mary.” The performance has become a recurring piece of Oscars lore, but Lowe’s public image was about to take a considerably more serious hit.
In 1988, while the then-24-year-old actor was in Atlanta, Lowe recorded a sexual encounter involving a 16-year-old girl. Lowe maintained that he did not know the girl was a minor and believed she was 21.
Her mother later sued him, and authorities examined whether Lowe could face charges related to recording a minor. Lowe ultimately entered a pretrial intervention program that included community service and was not prosecuted.
“This year even, I guess some people didn’t love some of the Emmys, and they were like, ‘At least it wasn’t Rob,’” he told Cohen. “It’s like, guys, there should be a statute of limitations.”
The sex-tape scandal surfaced shortly after the Oscars, linking two highly publicized setbacks in Lowe’s career within a matter of weeks. Lowe later entered rehab and has been sober since 1990.
He eventually rebuilt his career through projects including The West Wing and Parks and Recreation, and has spoken openly about how the fallout forced major changes in his life.
Smith created an entirely different kind of Oscars controversy in 2022 when he walked onstage and struck Rock during the live broadcast. Rock had joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, comparing her to Demi Moore’s character in G.I. Jane. Pinkett Smith has alopecia.
Smith returned to his seat and yelled at Rock before later winning Best Actor for King Richard. He subsequently apologized, resigned from the Academy, and received a 10-year ban from Academy events.
Lowe, meanwhile, can point to some famous defenders of that 1989 performance. He said Lucille Ball approached him afterward and praised his singing, while “Proud Mary” songwriter John Fogerty apparently wasn’t offended either.
“John Fogerty was watching it at home,” Lowe told Cohen. “And he liked it. He forgave me.”
