When Rob Lowe's sex tape surfaced in 1988, many thought it would be the end of his booming career. However, the actor says it was "the best thing" that ever happened to him.

"I honestly think it's the best thing that happened to me," Lowe said at SiriusXM Hollywood studio complex where he went to promote his live show, "Stories I Only Tell My Friends: LIVE!" on "The Jess Cagle Show".

Talking to SiriusXM's Jess Cagle and Julia Cunningham, the 55-year-old actor spoke about how the sex tape with a then-16-year-old Atlanta girl and her 23-year-old friend led to his road to recovery as a young man and also said he can't talk about his life without talking about the scandal. "My whole life is there," the star said.

Before Lowe gained fame for his roles in "The Outsiders" and "Youngblood" during the 1980s, the actor had made a home sex tape. The tape was leaked to the press and nearly ended his career. Lowe jokingly told Cagle that he "invented" the sex tape and the only regret he has about it is that he didn't make money from it.

"The problem was, I didn't make any money off of it like everybody does. I was too stupid," Lowe said, reports People.

The actor who made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom "A New Kind of Family", says the infamous sex tape turned his life for good during a low point. He called it one of the reasons he got sober.

"It's one of the reasons I got sober. I woke up one day and was like, 'what am I doing with my life?'" Lowe said.

"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," the "Parks and Recreations" star added.

The actor is married to Sheryl Berkoff. The couple share two sons Mattew Edward and John Owen. With a dependency on drugs and alcohol, he entered rehab in 1990, at 25, and has been sober for 30 years now.

Comedy Central Roast Of Rob Lowe
Honoree Rob Lowe speaks onstage at The Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe at Sony Studios in Los Angeles, California Getty/Alberto E. Rodriguez

Lowe further explained that though a sex tape scandal was not the perfect way for his recovery, it played a very positive role in his life. "It's not a great recipe for success to give 18-year-old male fame, money, and drugs and expect there not to be something that goes wrong," he said.