Rob Lowe’s Co-Star Refused to Kiss Him Because She ‘Knew Where That Mouth Had Been’
There are few, if any, Generation Xers who are not familiar with Rob Lowe. From drama to comedy, the 56-year-old has been acting since he was 15. From roles such as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing to playing Chris Traeger in Parks and Recreation, Lowe has developed a huge fan-base. And, honestly, who wouldn’t want to kiss him? Well, one co-star refused to do just that.
A brief on Lowe’s background
Although born in Virginia, Lowe grew up with his younger brother, Chad, in Dayton, Ohio. Their parents divorced while the boys were young, and their mother moved them to California. Lowe attended high school in Santa Monica. He became friends with Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, and Judd Nelson, all members of the Brat Pack, “a group of young, powerful, and reckless actors and actresses,” according to IMDb.
Lowe’s first television credits came in 1979 for playing Tony Flanagan in A New Kind of Family. He has been nominated for six Golden Globe Awards and one Primetime Emmy. He twice won the Screen Actors Guild Best Actor Award for his work as Seaborn in The West Wing. He has been married to make-up artist Sheryl Berkoff since 1991, and they have two sons.
Lowe’s 1988 scandal
By the late ’80s, Lowe’s most famous role had come portraying Billy Hicks in St. Elmo’s Fire, which premiered on the Big Screen in 1985. Lowe won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor for his role. In 1988, the actor came up against a lawsuit for having sex with a 16-year-old girl. The sexually explicit incident was filmed. Lowe claimed he did not know the girl was underage, according to USA Today.
Lowe served 20 hours of community service for the incident. Now, 30+ years later, he credits the unfortunate incident as a life-saving measure for himself. He had been heavily into drugs and alcohol at the time. He sought treatment following the humiliating court case.
‘The Lyon’s Den’ and Jewel
In 2003, Lowe starred in an NBC legal drama, The Lyon’s Den, which only lasted one season, according to Fandom. Having seen Jewel’s appearance in the film Ride with The Devil, Lowe wanted her cast as his love interest on the show. Jewel Kilcher, who simply goes by her first name, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor, best known for her folk music which drove her to stardom in the 1990s. While touring, she landed gigs opening for Bob Dylan and Neil Young, according to Biography. She also started acting, generally playing herself, and appeared as a contestant in Dancing with the Stars in 2009.
Jewel appeared in one episode of The Lyon’s Den as Jennifer Matthews. There was no chemistry between Jewel and Lowe, and she objected to kissing him, although she was told it was necessary. She asked later that the scene be removed but to no avail.
Fast-forward to 2015 for her explanation. Jewel was chosen as part of Lowe’s Comedy Central Roast which aired on television. “People may be wondering what my connection is to Rob,” she said. “Well, years ago I was cast in a show called Lyon’s Den. I’m sure none of you saw it because it starred Rob Lowe. The first script said that Rob and I had to kiss, but I asked if they could rewrite it, because I knew where that mouth had been.”
She had written new words for her song, “You Were Meant for Me,” specifically for the roast, to tell the story. “Rob was so shocked on Lyon’s Den, when I did not want to kiss him … You completely forgot we hooked up before … I was that girl in your sex tape. Maybe you missed my name, because you were high on so much cocaine. Out of all your films, I’m the best thing you were ever in,” she sang in jest.
While Jewel was not really the girl in the tape, the onscreen audience, and most likely most TV watchers, that night were thrilled by Jewel’s comical prowess. “My music is very earnest, but I have a very dark sense of humor, and on my stage, I’m pretty biting and kind of do stand up,” she later said.
