Rob Lowe has spoken out for the first time since allegations of sexual misconduct were made by his former nanny.

"The whole thing is very sad," he told Entertainment Tonight. "We live in a time where anybody can say anything about anybody."

"You want to defend your family!" the actor said, echoing sentiments he published on the Huffington Post before the allegations were known. "Now it's in the court system and potentially a criminal investigation."

Lowe added, "The support has been fantastic and really, really humbling."

In a lawsuit filed last week, Lowe's former nanny claims that he regularly exposed himself during the seven years she worked on and off with his
family.

Jessica Gibson, 24, quit her job in February. She alleges the actor also groped her butt and "placed his hand" inside her pants several times between September 2005 and January 2008.

Lowe, 44, and his wife Sheryl claim Gibson sought $1.5 million in "hush money." They are suing her for allegedly spreading malicious lies about them.

Lowe told ET that the family is doing "great" under the circumstances.

"The boys are great," he said of his two sons. "They are affected by it, but they're moving through it. My boys understand that being a celebrity sometimes exposes you to some really bad stuff and sometimes you get a VIP tour of Disneyland."