We've all been oddly perplexed by Charlie Sheen's infamous "tiger blood" for years, and it appears that the public may finally know the root of it all. On Tuesday (Nov 17th) morning, Sheen revealed to the world via NBC's TODAY show with Matt Lauer that he has been HIV positive for the past several years and was finally putting an end to the barrage of blackmail demands he had endured at the hands of people threatening to unearth his status for the masses. Now that the cat is finally out of the bag, former sex partners prepare to sue according to reports.
Late last week, rumors began to surface, claiming there was an A-List actor in Hollywood known to be a Lothario that was infected with HIV and preparing to tell the world his secret. Naturally the public's speculation went into overdrive as people began to point the finger at the star of Two and a Half Men.Today, Sheen revealed that he in fact had been living with the virus for the past 4 years, and, as a result, had become a victim of extortion after paying millions of dollars in hush money.
During the segment, Sheen, along with his medical physician Dr. Robert Huizenga, answered a plethora of questions after telling the world "I am in fact H.I.V.-positive."
According to him, a major motivating factor for him sharing the dark truth was due to the "shake down" for cash he had endured with people threatening to tell his secret. When asked by Lauer if he is still shelling out the big bucks to keep people quiet he reveals, "Not after today, I'm not." Sheen made it blatantly clear to those who would do him harm, that he was free from the secret that hovered above him like a dark cloud.
He also revealed that he initially thought his illness was a brain tumor, "It is a hard three letters to absorb." He also explained he wasn't fully aware how he contracted the disease, but admitted, "I was doing a lot of drugs. I was drinking way too much. I was making a lot of bad decisions." Although he believes that he did not transmit the disease to others, as he reportedly "told all sexual partners," TMZ reports at least 6 former partners of Sheen are gearing up for major lawsuits against the actor for not disclosing his status. This could definitely get messy for the star.
Watch the full interview below:
