Is Rob Lowe deaf? Actor says he 'lives in a mono world' after childhood infection

2023-05-30 17:45

Rob Lowe lost his hearing to undiagnosed mumps when he was a baby

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The fourth season of ‘911: Lone Star’ recently came to an end and saw Rob Lowe’s Captain Owen Strand meeting his brother Robert Strand, a role played by his real-life brother Chad Lowe. Towards the end of the season, Robert revealed to Owen that he was suffering from Huntington’s disease, a hereditary condition that impacts motor skills and cognitive ability, prompting the latter to get tested for the disease himself, the result of which came back negative.

While Lowe was excited to team up with his own brother onscreen, this is not the only coincidence between the actor’s real and reel life. As Strand has continued to battle several health issues throughout the show, Lowe has also battled hearing problems throughout his life. The actor previously revealed that he has been deaf in his right ear since he was a child.

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How did Rob Lowe suffer from hearing loss?

Lowe previously appeared in an episode of ‘The Dr Oz Show’ and said that he started having hearing problems early on in his life. “I’m deaf in my right ear and have been since the beginning,” he shared. The actor later joked that he takes advantage of his condition while arguing with his wife, even though deafness has caused certain issues in his acting life. “I've never put the phone to this [right] ear ever in my life. So, whenever I do it on camera, like, the phone goes up here [on his head], or here [on his cheek],” Lowe shared.

The actor further opened up about his condition during an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He said that he lost his hearing when he was a baby to undiagnosed mumps, a viral infection that often causes hearing loss by damaging the cochlea (inner-ear organ of hearing). “Really loud restaurants drive me ballistic,” Lowe told the outlet. “I live in a mono world. I wish I could [hear in] stereo,” he added at the time.

A look into Rob Lowe’s character's cancer battle in ‘911: Lone Star’

Lowe plays the role of Captain Strand in ‘911: Lone Star,’ one of the leading characters of the show. He debuted on the first episode of the first episode of the show that aired on January 19, 2020. Lowe’s character is a firefighter captain from New York City and father to Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand (Ronen Rubinstein), also a firefighter with the 126.

Strand relocated to Austin, Texas, with his son and was tasked to rebuild a team for the 126 in Austin, similar to his work in Manhattan, New York. The character was initially shown to have been diagnosed with lung cancer for serving as a first responder on the September 11 attacks, which also led to the loss of his entire firehouse.

Strand is shown to be starting his treatment in “Yee-Haw” as a form of adaptive therapy where they use immunotherapy and limited chemo to slow the growth of cancer. The former wishes to die as an old man with cancer “many, many years from now” rather than facing immediate death. In the first episode of the second of season of ‘911: Lone Star,’ it is revealed that it has been a month since Strand’s last round of immunotherapy. In the same episode, doctor tells Strand that his cancer is in remission and his tumor has been reduced by 73%. In the second episode of the second season, the 126 is shown to be having a party to celebrate Strand’s remission.