Rob Lowe arriving at the Fox Upfront Presentation at Central Park's Wollman Rink 0n May 13 2019 in New York City. Picture: Bang Showbiz BANG MEDIA INTERNATIONAL FAMOUS PICTURES 28 HOLMES ROAD LONDON NW5 3AB UNITED KINGDOM tel +44 (0) 02 7485 1005 email: [email protected]

Hollywood star Rob Lowe has joked he was "stupid" for not making money from his sex tape.

The 55-year-old actor has made light of the infamous incident in 1988, when the emergence of the sex tape threatened to undermine his career in the movie business.

Speaking to SiriusXM, Rob quipped: "The problem was, I didn't make any money off of it like everybody does. I was too stupid."

But Rob - who has sons Matthew, 26, and John, 24, with his wife Sheryl Berkoff - thinks the incident became a life-shaping moment.

He explained: "It's one of the reasons I got sober. I woke up one day and was like, 'What am I doing with my life?'

"I'm 29 years in. I honestly think it's the best thing that happened to me. I got sober. Sober got me married. I've been married for 29 years. I have two great sons."

Rob - whose new show is called "Stories I Only Tell My Friends: LIVE!" - also admits to being given too much, too soon.

The Hollywood star explained that having "fame, money and drugs" during his teenage years was "not a great recipe for success".

He reflected: "It's not a great recipe for success to give an 18-year-old male fame, money and drugs and expect there not to be something that goes wrong.

"I talk a lot about recovery in the show because it's good to see the example ... I needed the examples when I was trying to change my life.

"It's moving because it's a serious - literal life-and-death issue - but it's also really funny. I do a whole thing about how I loved going to rehab ... that I'd suggest if Christmas break you're thinking about going to Cabo San Lucas or rehab, I'd pick rehab."