EXCLUSIVE: Rob Lowe Slammed for Taking Shamelessness 'Off the Charts' With Brazen Take on Sex Scenes — Despite X-Rated Tape Scandal That Shocked Hollywood
Lowe entered rehab in 1990 at age 34 after battling alcoholism and substance abuse.
March 2 2025, Published 1:15 p.m. ET
Rob Lowe isn't holding back when it comes to lamenting Hollywood's lack of steamy sex scenes – and the irony isn't lost on his fans or insiders, who have branded him "brazen beyond belief".
RadarOnline.com can reveal the 59-year-old actor, best known for The West Wing and Parks and Recreation, went all-in on how times have changed during a chat with Sex and the City's Kristin Davis, 59, on his "Literally!" podcast.
Rob Lowe had a sex tape surface in 1988.
Lowe declared: "Nobody has sex scenes in movies anymore," in what many are now calling a shockingly bold statement considering his own infamous history with sex tapes.
In 1988, just as he was reaching peak fame, a sex tape surfaced showing Lowe with two young women – one of whom was later revealed to be just 16.
The tape, recorded during the Democratic National Convention, became one of Hollywood's biggest scandals and sent Lowe into damage control mode, forcing him to retreat from the spotlight and seek rehab for alcohol addiction.
Despite the controversy, Lowe managed an astonishing comeback, reinventing himself as a clean-cut leading man in TV dramas and comedies and even taking gags about the tape on the chin in his infamous Comedy Central Roast.
Rob Lowe has been mocked over the sex tape for years.
Despite the fallout, he's seemingly nostalgic for the very thing that almost ended his career.
Speaking about Hollywood's changing attitudes toward on-screen intimacy, Lowe reminisced about his 1988 erotic thriller Masquerade, claiming the studio distanced itself from the film because it was "too sexy".
He said, seemingly baffled by how much the industry has changed: "They're like, 'It's so brave. She's so brave.' (This actress is) brave because she has a sex scene? Like, that's brave now. In our day, it was required."
Lowe did acknowledge one recent exception – A24's Babygirl, which features steamy, no-holds-barred sex scenes and stars Nicole Kidman, 56, as a CEO embarking on a submissive affair with her 27-year-old intern, played by Harris Dickinson.
Calling the film's intimate moments "great", Lowe suggested it's a rare throwback to a bygone era.
Rob Lowe praised the A24 film 'Babygirl' starring Nicole Kidman.
The actor also recalled an old Hollywood "rule" about sex scenes, saying: "There was the page 73 rule. Back in the day, the sex scene was always on page 73. You got a script and were like, 'Am I going to be naked in this?' You didn't have to read the whole script. You just went to page 73 because that middle second act… what do you do? It's the toughest sledding in storytelling, so they Blue Lagoon it."
Rob Lowe is best known for his roles in 'The West Wing' and 'Parks and Recreation'.
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Lowe, an optimist about Hollywood's shifting landscape, added: "I always feel, like, out of chaos comes opportunity. My attitude is always you make the most of it (and) disruption is actually a great time to build new things. If you can be one of the nimble ones and you could be one of the forward-thinking ones… not entrenched and not trying to recreate yesterday but try to imagine tomorrow, it's your time."
But for many, Lowe's remarks have raised eyebrows.
A showbiz insider ranted: "Does this former scandal magnet really think he's the right person to critique Hollywood's new stance on sex scenes?
"One thing's for sure: the irony is off the charts. He's mad talking this way, as that tape being brought up again is enough to get him canceled all over again, and many of his young Parks and Rec fans will have no idea about it."
