Entertainment –
Charlie Sheen Announces He Has HIV
For weeks, the tabloids have been teasing the story that a popular Hollywood A-list actor is HIV-positive and paying millions of dollars to keep his status a secret. Yesterday, actor Charlie Sheen put all speculation to rest and admitted publicly that he is indeed HIV-positive.
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In a conversation Tuesday with Matt Lauer on NBC’s “Today” show, Charlie Sheen finally told his story.
“I’m here to admit that I am HIV-positive,” Sheen said. “And I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks, sub-truths, and very harmful, mercurial stories that are threatening the health of many others, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.”
Fearful that his legacy would be tarnished by his health status and that people would only remember him as “that HIV actor,” Sheen spent years and countless millions paying off dozens of people for their silence. He originally told a small group of friends about his health, only to later learn those people he considered “friend” were not so trustworthy after all.
When Matt Lauer asked who he had told, Sheen answered, “Enough that I trusted to be in the position and the situation I am today.” He said that several people have blackmailed him for their silence and he has paid “enough to bring it into the millions.”
“What people forget is that’s money they’re taking from my children,” he said. “They think it’s just me, but I have five kids and a granddaughter.”
When Matt Lauer asked if he was still paying anyone, Sheen answered, “Not after today, I’m not!”
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Charlie Sheen’s admission comes after the National Enquirer was first to report on the actor’s condition. It also reported that the actor has risked the health of several sexual partners and others who didn’t know he had the virus, including his former wives.
On the “Today” show, Sheen said that he told all his sexual partners, including paid escorts, that he is HIV-positive. He also said that it’s “impossible” he has passed the HIV virus to anyone else. In the 2 cases in which the actor admitted he had unprotected sex after his diagnosis, Sheen said they were “under the care of my doctor and they were completely warned ahead of time.”
This is vital information, since having unprotected sex while knowingly HIV-positive in the State of California is a punishable crime. So far, it is unclear if any charges will be filed against Charlie Sheen, although a battery of civil lawsuits are almost certain to come.
Sheen said he was diagnosed with HIV 4 years ago after experiencing extreme migraine headaches and “sweating the bed.” He added he was eventually hospitalized because he believed he was suffering from a brain tumor.
“After a battery of tests, spinal taps, all that crap, they walked into the room and said, boom, here’s what’s going on,” he recalled. “It’s a hard three letters to absorb. It’s a turning point in one’s life.”
The former “Anger Management” star said he doesn’t know how he contracted the virus, but hopes he can help others with his admission.
“I have a responsibility now to better myself and to help a lot of other people,” he said. “And hopefully with what we’re doing today, others may come forward and say, ‘Thanks, Charlie. Thanks for kicking the door open.”
