Rob Lowe notoriously had a tricky time behind the scenes while starring on The West Wing — but at least he can see the funny side.
The actor, 61, took to TikTok on Thursday, July 24, to reveal the hilarious way he dealt with the tension he felt on set of the show, on which he played Sam Seaborn from 1999 to 2003.
“So, a lot has been talked about my issues — such as they were — on The West Wing, which I love. I love that show and everybody in it. It’s all good now. But there were some difficulties,” Lowe began.
He added, “At one point, they had sort of written me off the show. I didn’t feel like I had a lot to do, and so I made these, and I sent them to everybody affiliated with the show — the network, the studio, the producers, executives.”
Rob Lowe Compares 'West Wing' to an ‘Unhealthy Relationship,' Explains Exit
Showing off his creation, Lowe held up a milk carton that had his face plastered on it like a missing person.
“It’s a milk carton. I sent these to everybody,” Lowe continued. “Let’s see what the stats are. Sam Seaborn, 170 pounds. Eyes: blue. Missing since the Christmas episode 2002. Please call Bernie Brillstein [my manager] if you’ve seen this man.”
Lowe previously spoke about his struggles while working on the political drama, likening it to an “unhealthy” relationship and indicating he felt undervalued on the show.
@roblowe From the archives…
Speaking on Penn Badgley‘s “Podcrushed” podcast in August 2023, Lowe compared working on the show to toxic relationships his sons were getting into with “popular” girls at school.
“I could see them having first girlfriends and being in a relationship that was abusive and taking it,” Lowe said on the podcast. “‘She’s the popular girl, everybody likes her, she’s beautiful, it must be great’ — all the things that people would say about making The West Wing to me. ‘It’s so popular, it’s so amazing, it must be amazing.’ But I know what it’s like, and if I couldn’t walk away from it, then how could I empower my kids to walk away from it?”
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He continued, “I walked away from the most popular girl at school, but I also knew that it was a super unhealthy relationship, and it was the best thing I ever did.”
Lowe ultimately left the series in season 4 and acknowledged on the podcast it was “increasingly clear, for quite a while, that there was no longer a place for Sam Seaborn.”