NEWSTommy Lee Jones, 80, Makes Rare Public Appearance for Season 2 Premiere of 'The Lowdown' in Texas
Tommy Lee Jones made a rare public appearance alongside Ethan Hawke at 'The Lowdown' Season 2 premiere.
Oct. 9 2026, Published 8:08 a.m. ET
Tommy Lee Jones is stepping back into the spotlight.
The Oscar-winning actor, 80, made a rare red carpet appearance on Wednesday, October 7, for the season two premiere of FX’s The Lowdown at AFS Cinema in Austin, Texas.
The outing marked his first red carpet appearance in nearly three years, following the premiere of his crime thriller Finestkind in December 2023.
Jones kept things casual for the occasion, wearing blue jeans, a blue button-up shirt and a black blazer.
He joined his costars Ethan Hawke and Ryan Kiera Armstrong, along with series creator Sterlin Harjo, to celebrate the upcoming season of the crime comedy.
Tommy Lee Jones Is Set to Return to Television With Ethan Hawke in 'The Lowdown'
Tommy Lee Jones will play Ethan Hawke's estranged father in 'The Lowdown.'
Jones is set to appear in two episodes of The Lowdown, which returns for its second season on Wednesday, October 14.
He plays Lee Raybon Senior, the estranged father of Hawke’s character, Lee Raybon, a self-proclaimed citizen journalist who finds himself caught up in a local conspiracy after an exposé on a wealthy family leads to a suspicious death.
For Hawke and Harjo, bringing Jones into the series was an opportunity they couldn't pass up.
“We're just kind of going about who would be a great formidable figure in Lee Raybond's life and Tommy Lee popped up in our mind,” Harjo said in an interview in September.
“Then we couldn't get him out and he was a fan of The Lowdown,” he added.
Ethan Hawke called Tommy Lee Jones 'one of the all-time greats.'
Hawke was equally enthusiastic about working alongside the legendary actor.
“I have been a huge fan of his my whole life,” he said.
“From Coal Miner’s Daughter through Lonesome Dove, I’m the perfect age for him. The Fugitive, No Country for Old Men, he’s one of the all-time greats. And it was a real privilege to work with him," he added.
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Tommy Lee Jones has kept a low profile after daughter Victoria Jones' death.
The Training Day actor also praised Jones' contribution to the series in a recent interview.
“He made me proud to be an actor,” Hawke said, adding, “It’s an odd life and to be really good at it, it’s extremely difficult. He’s been on the same road for 25 years longer [than me] and he’s really, really smart... He’s been through the fires of life.”
Hawke continued, “I look forward to people seeing Tommy in the show because he doesn’t just make a cameo in the show; he’s giving a performance and it’s a great one.”
Tommy Lee Jones Returns to Red Carpet Months After Daughter Victoria's Death
Victoria Jones' cause of death was ruled an accidental cocaine overdose.
Tommy's return to the red carpet comes months after the death of his 34-year-old daughter, Victoria Jones, who was found dead in a San Francisco hotel room on New Year's Day.
The San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later determined that Victoria died from an accidental overdose caused by the “toxic effects of cocaine," per TMZ.
Victoria was Tommy's daughter with his second wife, Kimberlea Cloughley, whom he married in 1981. The former couple, who divorced in 1996, also share a son, Austin, 43.
Following Victoria's death, Tommy and his family issued a brief statement expressing gratitude for the support they had received while asking for privacy.
“We appreciate all of the kind words, thoughts, and prayers. Please respect our privacy during this difficult time,” they said.
