Rob Lowe celebrates over three decades of sobriety while hosting 'Ellen'

The best thing about Rob Lowe is the way his sons troll him on Instagram. The second best thing about him is how candid he is when it comes to talking about his past struggles with substance abuse and the road he’s taken to sobriety — one he’s been on for 31 years. 

Lowe stepped in to guest host The Ellen DeGeneres Show today (watch the full episode here), welcoming Wandavision star Kathryn Hahn (who admitted to having to suppress her crush on Lowe) and his former Parks and Recreation co-star, Adam Scott (who admitted to be crashing at the apartment of Aziz Ansari, yet another Parks cast member).  

But before the guests arrived, Lowe caught the Ellen audience up on what’s been going on in his life. Earlier this month, the actor celebrated his 31st year of sober living. 

He marked the milestone with an Instagram post that read, “Today I have 31 years drug and alcohol free. I want to give thanks to everyone walking this path with me, and welcome anyone thinking about joining us; the free and the happy.  And a big hug to my family for putting up with me!!”

On Ellen, Lowe invited viewers to join in the celebration with him, alluding to the fact that this is one year when we could all use an extra reason (or 12) to celebrate. The actor said that 2021 is his year to rejoice over the fact that he’s been drug and alcohol-free for three decades.

"It's pretty impressive,” he joked, “considering 32 years ago, I was getting alcohol and drugs for free. But seriously, I feel better than ever."

The pandemic has been an extra tough time for anyone with substance abuse issues — support groups haven’t been as accessible and the added stress and loneliness of lockdown can often push people towards abusing drugs and alcohol. Surveys have shown that drug and alcohol use rose markedly in 2020, a fact Lowe seems keenly aware of.

"If someone you know is struggling with any kind of addiction, I'm here to tell you that there is hope. Very much so," said Lowe before — unable to resist a self-deprecating joke — adding, "And with that said, if you don't have a drinking problem, please start drinking right now, because I'm gonna seem a lot funnier."

In addition to celebrating his sobriety, Lowe -- who is currently starring in 9-1-1: Lone Star (season finale Monday at 9pET on CTV) -- also marked another anniversary: 30 years of marriage to his wife, Sheryl, mother to his two Instagram-trolling sons.

"Everybody's asking me what I'm planning to do,” he told the Ellen audience, “and I got some ideas. I thought that maybe my wife and I could play 18 holes of golf. On one hand, my wife hates golf, but on the other hand, I love it, and marriage is a compromise." We wish him all the luck in the world with that plan. 

Watch The Ellen DeGeneres Show weekdays at 3pET on CTV.

BEFORE YOU GO: Prince Harry opens up about his mother’s death

[video_embed id='2207249']BEFORE YOU GO: Prince Harry opens up about his mother’s death [/video_embed]