NEW YORK—Charlie Sheen said his bad-boy days are over and, with Tuesday’s declaration that he’s HIV-positive, he aims to become an inspiration to others.
“My partying days are behind me,” Sheen said in a letter posted online. “My philanthropic days are ahead of me.”
The manifesto was released as the former “Two and a Half Men” star appeared on NBC’s “Today” to say he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS about four years ago, but that, thanks to a rigorous drug regimen, he’s healthy.
When asked by “Today” co-host Matt Lauer if he had transmitted the disease to others, Sheen declared, “Impossible. Impossible,” and insisted he had informed every sexual partner of his condition beforehand. He told Lauer he has had unprotected sex with two partners, both of whom knew ahead of time, adding, with no clarification, “They were under the care of my doctor.”
That claim was disputed by Bree Olson, who was living with Sheen in 2011 as one of his two “goddesses.”
“He never said anything to me,” Olson said on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show Tuesday.
She said she learned of Sheen’s condition only in the past few days, prompting her to be tested. She told Stern the results were negative.
Asked by Lauer if he expected “a barrage of lawsuits” from past sexual partners alleging he infected them, he said wanly, “I’m sure that’s next.”
But in California, where Sheen resides, a person can be charged with a felony only if they are aware they are HIV-positive and engage in unprotected sex with another person with the specific intent of exposing them to the disease.
With his public pronouncements, Sheen said he hoped to reduce the stigma and shame still felt by others diagnosed with HIV, as well as by those reluctant to be tested. He voiced hope that “others may come forward and say, ‘Thanks, Charlie, for kicking the door open.’”
