Unexpected Friendship: Justice Clarence Thomas Friends with Rob Lowe, Gives Son Law Advice

American actor and endorser of DirectTV Rob Lowe recently revealed that he’s friends with conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

According to Fox News, Rob Lowe appeared in an interview with Conan O’Brien on his podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend.”

Lowe shocked O’Brien with the revelation that he was friends with Justice Thomas. “Are you guys really close?” O’Brien asked Lowe as he pressed for more details.

“I do know him. I got inducted into the Horatio Alger Society a couple years ago. … It’s a very exclusive, very amazing society that provides scholarships for kids who come from terrible, terrible backgrounds,” Lowe explained to O’Brien.

“But they are the best and the brightest in their classes. And the people in it are pretty studly. He’s one of them. That’s how we met. They put the medal on me in the halls of the Supreme Court,” Lowe gushed.

O’Brien seemed to be taken aback by Lowe’s disclosure. “Wow. OK,” O’Brien responded.

Lowe then went to explain how Justice Thomas even gave him his personal cell phone number when they first met. “‘If you ever need anything, call my number. This is my cell phone,’” Lowe said Justice Thomas told him.

So, when Lowe’s son was preparing to go to law school, he figured he might as well try to get in touch with the justice to see if he had any advice for his son.

Lowe gave the justice a ring, and low and behold, Justice Thomas picked up.

Lowe recalled, “And you’re like, ‘Geeze. Shouldn’t there be, like, a vetting process?’ And for 45 minutes he’s giving me advice on what my son should do vis-a-vis law school and clerking.”

It must be nice to have friends in high places. Indeed, friends often come in unlikely pairings.

The late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia was known to be extremely good friends with liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. They were even known to take their families on vacation together. Despite their fierce disagreements on the court, the two were chummy and amicable.

Lowe has acted in numerous television shows like Parks and Recreation and has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe awards for his appearance on hit television series The West Wing.

Justice Clarence Thomas is currently the longest-serving justice on the Supreme Court, having been an associate justice since he was nominated by George H.W. Bush in 1991. He’s known for his conservative views, devout Catholic faith and for starring in a new documentary about his life titled Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in his Own Words.