Charlie Sheen has confirmed reports that he’s HIV-positive.
The former Two and a Half Men star appeared on the Today Show to “put an end to the barrage of attacks” that he’s seen in tabloids and other media outlets.
“It’s a hard three letters to absorb,” he said, adding that his diagnosis four years ago was a “turning point” in his life.
He also told Matt Lauer that he’s paid millions of dollars over the last few years to blackmailers who’ve threatened to reveal his status, saying “that’s money they’re taking from my children.”
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“I always led with condoms and honesty when it came to my condition,” he added.
You can see clips of the interview below:
“I’m here to admit that I am in fact HIV Positive.” –@CharlieSheen https://t.co/OVqVMKUGET https://t.co/10Ca6WRqt4
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 17, 2015
When did @CharlieSheen learn about his HIV Positive diagnosis? “About 4 years ago” https://t.co/atJgbHV1X3
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 17, 2015
“How many people have you paid?” “Enough to bring it into the millions” –@CharlieSheen tells @MLauer https://t.co/0sJV5nAGsR — TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 17, 2015
Has @CharlieSheen knowingly or unknowingly transmitted virus since diagnosis? “Impossible” https://t.co/XTC2zvqcBD — TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 17, 2015
Sheen has stayed largely out of the press since his FX show Anger Management was canceled last year.
His dismissal from Two and a Half Men in 2011 for repeatedly disrupting production due to drug and alcohol abuse infamously played out in the press alongside his falling-out with the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre.
h/t Attitude