In a heartwarming moment on The Drew Barrymore Show on Thursday, Unstable actor Rob Lowe surprised his son, John Owen Lowe, with a 5-year sobriety chip to celebrate his addiction recovery journey.
The emotional exchange between father and son brought tears to the eyes of both the audience and the Lowes themselves.
During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Rob Lowe surprised his son John Owen with a special gift to celebrate Owen’s five years of sobriety (Credit: The Drew Barrymore Show)
During their appearance on the show, the duo spoke candidly about their struggles with addiction and the importance of support in their recovery process.
What began as a discussion about their latest Netflix comedy series, Unstable, and an exchange of witty jokes and one-liners quickly turned into a touching moment of celebration and reflection when Drew Barrymore revealed her recovery struggle.
The 48-year-old American actress noted that her children, 10-year-old Olive and 8-year-old Frankie, know she can’t consume alcohol because “it’s just not for me.”
The father-son duo were guests on The Drew Barrymore Show to promote their new Netflix comedy series, Unstable (Credit: The Drew Barrymore Show)
Drew remarked, “They support me through my pitfalls.”
She praised the Lowes, saying, “And you guys are an incredible family unit that supports each other through every high and low, everything.”
Rob responded by adding his perspective and mentioning that he had been in recovery for 33 years.
The 59-year-old actor told the host, “We do, and to be able to share recovery – you’re in recovery, I’m in recovery – I’ve got 33 years in recovery.”
After the audience applauded, Rob announced, “Johnny’s got five years.”
The proud dad then surprised his 28-year-old son, John Owen, by pulling his 5-year sobriety chip out of his pocket.
Rob detailed, “In fact, Johnny’s five-year birthday was on Saturday. And Johnny, I want to give you your five-year chip.”
John Owen remarked, “That’s really sweet,” then Rob embraced his son and said, “I love you. I’m proud of you.”
The young actor was nearly “speechless” after laughing with his father for most of their appearance on the show.
He said, “I’m speechless. I usually have a witty retort. I don’t have one for that. That was very nice of you.”
The father-and-son tandem has always been transparent about their sobriety through the years. During their Netflix series’ Los Angeles premiere last month, John Owen spoke with People about his sober journey and his parents’ critical role in helping him overcome his addiction.
Rob Lowe and Sheryl Berkoff have been married since 1991 and have two sons together, John Owen Lowe and Edward Matthew Lowe (Credit: DFree / Shutterstock)
John Owen shared that he is “eternally grateful to have supportive parents who were there for me in a moment when I needed help,” adding that he knows “a lot of people don’t have that. And that makes me sad and also very grateful that I did, and I’ll forever be grateful for that.”
Rob, who had struggled with drugs and alcohol before being sober at age 26, talked about supporting his child when he needed it most. He explained that he had “learned so much in my 33 years of recovery.”
Winona Ryder’s ex-boyfriend explained, “But the number one thing I know is, until someone is ready, until they’re ready – not until you’re ready, until they’re ready – it’s not going to happen.”
Rob added, “So all you can do is try to keep the bumpers up so they don’t make any really bad, tragic mistakes for themselves or anybody else, be there, support them, and when they’re ready, you can show them the path.”
He continued, “And when he was ready, that’s what I did.”
In an interview with Men’s Health April cover story earlier this month, John Owen openly talked about his sobriety journey and how his addiction throughout his late adolescent and early college years almost resulted in a rift with his father.
Rob Lowe, John Owen Lowe, and Sheryl Berkoff attend Sony Pictures’ “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” Los Angeles Premiere on July 22, 2019, in Hollywood, California (Credit: DFree / Shutterstock)
He told the outlet, “Many times, I could have died. I really liked to push the limits of my body and numb out as much as I could. It makes me sad to think about. There’s a certain level of self-doubt or uncomfortability with one’s self. The more insecure I grew, the more aggressively I used – to medicate.”
He added, “I’ve been to many hospitals many times. I’ve been very lucky,” and shared that one of his best friends from childhood died from a fentanyl overdose.
Rob and his wife, Sheryl Berkoff, did everything they could to support their son, providing him access to rehab, physicians, counselors, and more.
John Owen explained, “When I was at my lowest points, my parents were throwing their lifeline of recovery at me in a way that I was like, ‘Ahhh, get away! It’s abrasive.’”
He added, “It’s like I was drowning, and they were slamming me on the head with the life raft. Because my feelings were that I didn’t matter, and a lot of that stemmed from having the dad that I had.”
Natacha Karam, Rob Lowe, John Owen Lowe, Brian Michael Smith, Brianna Baker, and Julian Works attend the Netflix Unstable S1 premiere at Netflix Tudum Theater on March 23, 2023, in Los Angeles, California (Credit: Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
However, once he “was treated as if his voice and opinion were valid, he could access a part of him that was scared and hiding.”
He continued, “Finally, the thing that worked was when they said, ‘We love you, and we’re scared.’”
John Owen gives his father credit for teaching him how to maintain good health. He treats his body and mind like he is fortunate to have both.
Recovery is a difficult journey, but with the love and support of family, it is possible to overcome addiction.
John Owen stated, “Mostly, it’s just a mindset. I feel like he’s been serious about his health since I can remember, and so he has helped me be serious about mine.”