Charlie Sheen dominated the headlines yesterday after his live Today Show interview, in which he confirmed the news that he’s HIV positive and he’s known for four years. Sheen claimed a great many things, like he’s only had unprotected sex with two women in four years, and that he emotionally informed his children about his HIV status, and that he had been “blackmailed” for millions of dollars from shady people threatening to go to the press about his HIV status. Various outlets have been trying to fact-check Sheen’s claims, so there’s that… and like a million other stories. Here are some bullet points:
Sheen didn’t really tell his kids. TMZ says that he did tell his oldest, 30-year-old Cassandra, but he did not tell his four younger kids, “11-year-old Sam, 10-year-old Lola, or his 6-year-old twins, Bob and Max…It’s especially problematic for Sam and Lola, who are both in school and have to deal with classmates and others without preparation.” For what it’s worth, all of the kids are HIV-free.
The lawsuits aren’t over. In the immediate wake of Sheen’s Today Show interview, TMZ says at least six women “have lawyered up” and plan to sue Sheen for “intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, sexual battery … and more are on the way.”
How many women he really had sex with in the past four years. This is connected to the potential lawsuits – there are easily dozens of women who will be trying to get some kind of payout from Sheen in the near future, and then TMZ dropped this: “A source directly connected with Sheen says in the last 2 years, Sheen has had at least 200 partners, so the number of women who either will sue or plan to sue will almost certainly grow exponentially.” Jesus Christ.
Sheen says he’s not going to pay. He said that in his Today interview, that he’s been blackmailed or extorted for millions of dollars and that now that everyone knows his HIV status, he’s not going to keep paying the blackmailers. The thing is, many of the women he was paying actually had legally binding structured settlements. So if Sheen stops paying, the lawyers will come after him.
The Bree Olson thing. Bree was one of Sheen’s “goddesses” circa 2011, and Bree went to Howard Stern to claim that Sheen never told her about his HIV status. Sheen snapped back at Olson, saying that he didn’t know he had HIV until May 2011, which was two weeks after Olson dumped him via text message.
I think I got all of the big stories? Maybe. The truth is, I don’t want to do a deep dive into this story. While I think the entire situation is sad, I also think that Sheen is a difficult person to sympathize with. Oh, one final thing – Sheen wrote an “open letter,” part of which he revealed on Today – they published the whole letter, which you can read here.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.
I absolutely zero believe he told everyone he slept with about his HIV after he knew. He is such a substance abuser and mentally ill, who knows what he did or didn’t tell people in those times when things went sideways.
I agree with you, I don’t believe he told any of those women he was infected. Charlie is a lier. I never forget how he abused Denise Richards while she was pregnant and then lied that she was making up the abused. I have no idea how Denise R can stand to even have his back on this. I guess she is choosing to forgive his abuse of her because he is mentally I’ll.
Btw, I don’t have any sympathy for those women he had bed because they knew he was very abusive towards women for years and chose to sleep with him for lots of money. Not saying they should get the HIV but sometimes money is the root of evil.
I’m going to go out on a sympathetic/judgmental limb and assume that many of those women he slept with were not in good places to make sound decisions.
And the love of money is the root of all evil.
Can’t they easily lie and say he did not tell them? I loathe him, but if they want to take the risk and then sue him, isn’t it possible?
Has he ever actually come out and said that he battles with mental illness though? Just because Dr. Drew said so, doesn’t make it actual fact.
Because a guy who is knee-deep in crack, meth, and other drugs mixed with alcohol and whatever protease inhibitors he’s taking for his HIV would likely exhibit some seriously erratic behavior that has nothing to do with mental illness. It seems like this is the same White Dude Excuse that so many gave Mel Gibson…
Really good point, Kitten. Though a drug-addled brain can come from self-medicating as one tries to deal with a mental illness, a drug-addled brain and mental illness aren’t necessarily the same thing. My airmchair diagnoses of Charlie Sheen still stands: I think he’s affected by a rare and serious disease known as “All D*ck and No Brain.”
I feel SO bad for his pre-teen daughters…
@Shambles – it’s what I call “Thinking with the wrong head”. I tell my 16 yr old grandson to stop thinking with the wrong head all the time. Love “All D*ck and No Brain Disease”
ITA with your diagnosis, Dr. Shambles. I’m about to give you your own TV show because I think you are spot-on.
But yeah, of course it’s possible he could be bipolar or something, but I think it’s likely that he’s just an eccentric, egomaniacal b*stard who doesn’t have a healthy relationship with his body—or a healthy relationship with women, for that matter. I didn’t give Chris Brown the mental illness excuse for his violent outbursts and mistreatment of women and I’m sure as hell not going to do so for Sheen. FWIW and since I’m already comparing the two, I have to point out that Sheen’s childhood was quite privileged compared to Brown’s.
Regardless of the cause, Charlie definitely was having manic episodes. I heard him talk and recognized that right away, since I’ve been around someone who is bipolar but was mainly unipolar (depression) until during diagnosis the doctor gave him too high a dose of an upper… So he got thrown into mania for a while. He talked and acted just like Charlie when Charlie was yammering about tiger blood etc.
No, there isn’t any proof of a mental illness, but one has to wonder. Drugs addle your brains, this is true, but I find it hard to believe he would have gotten to this state in the first place if there wasn’t something else underlying it. He’s too far gone to tell now though, most likely.
His behavior has been so sh*t, and so pervasive, for so long, I suspect he has all 3 going: some form/level of mental illness (something falling in antisocial cluster of personality disorders, like sociopathy or something, one that doesn’t really elicit sympathy or work as an excuse), substance abuse, AND is just a Grade A a-hole.
If a brain doesn’t function properly because of hard core drug use over many years, how does a person categorize it? (I’m just mulling it over). “Brain damaged” doesn’t quite sound right.
I do think he seems to have mental problems, but not typical “mental illness”, but “mental illness caused by drug abuse”?
My question is from a pharmacology standpoint. If he is destroying is liver/kidneys using whatever cocktail of illicit drugs and alcohol keep him going day by day, how does that affect his ability to metabolize his HIV medications? If you up or down regulate your primary metabolizing organs (liver/kidneys) by destroying them with alcohol and drugs, how are are affecting the effects of your HIV meds? I guess the end result is “very minimal viral load” then something is working, but certainly, by continuing to use drugs and drink, he is NOT being a responsible HIV patient, which makes him even more a of risk to those he had unprotected sex with.
@Tiffany – – I’m pretty sure drug abuse can cause various conditions (even when not using) that would qualify as mental illness or brain damage. Brain damage does sound harsh/”wrong,” but if drug abuse causes, for example, permanent changes to neural pathways (long-term, heavy use of marijuana does this), such that cognitive functioning is impaired, I think that’s pretty much the same thing as “brain damage.” I guess whether Charlie has sustained drug abuse-related brain damage would be determined by what drugs, for how long, etc. And yeah, there’s also the chicken and egg issue. Drug use can cause mental illness. Mental illness can lead to drug use. Which came first? Personally, based on nothing but some medium-ish reading on these topics, I think Charlie probably started out with a mental illness and then magnified it via drug abuse, possibly causing brain damage, who knows. I think if you really wanted to get into tossing out possible diagnoses, sex addiction seems like another candidate.
I think it’s pretty clear that his brain doesn’t work right and I’m not sure it matters at this point what the right terminology is.
@ItHappensOneNight – – I’m curious about that too. It seems intuitive that if you have a virus that has the potential to seriously screw with your immune system, that you’d want to be super careful with your health. I have no idea what the science is. Magic Johnson seems to be doing really well, but I feel like he’s taken good care of himself. I think Charlie’s announcement has brought HIV into the spotlight again and it would be good to know what the *current* info is, b/c I think a lot of younger people don’t know much about it and somebody like me, at 40, I remember how scary it was and I remember the incorrect stuff that was floating around – and that it was incorrect – but I don’t know much beyond vagueries like there have been advances made, it’s not a death sentence, etc. I suspect that’s the general understanding for a lot of people.
This story actually had me thinking isn’t something how far we can get on some diseases relatively quickly, like HIV/AIDS has gone from the scariest damn thing and death sentence to look at Magic Johnson within 30 years, whereas we can’t seem to get very far with cancer, and that’s been around forever.
Very legitimate point. But my sister is bipolar and let me tell you, from what I see, he is too.
Your definition of mental illness seems weirdly narrow to me.
Compare to something like diabetes. If you were being really blunt you might say an unhealthy, overweight person with diabetes did it to themselves (with their drug of choice being sugar), but that actually doesn’t matter in terms of the diagnosis. They have diabetes. Treatment might be different (i.e., convincing them to lose weight), but you’d never say they didn’t have diabetes.
Sheen quite clearly behaves in an erratic/manic way. It’s severe enough that it’s affecting his occupation. Therefore he has a mental disorder. It doesn’t matter whether he’s acting weird because he’s high, or if he’s not actually high at the time but the drugs have broken his brain chemistry, or because the drugs triggered an underlying problem. Treatment might be different than for other mental disorders (i.e., convincing him to get off the drugs would be a good start), but saying he doesn’t have a mental disorder seems just as inaccurate as saying the person in the previous paragraph isn’t a diabetic.
I think what I’m really trying to say is that labels like “mental illness” are just about describing a set of symptoms/behaviours. It doesn’t mean “oh, they have an illness, so nothing is their fault.” He’s an egomaniac jerk, but has also quite clearly had manic episodes, therefore he’s an egomaniac jerk with a mental disorder.
@ ithappnedonenight: good question.
*runs to google*
From what I just read, it seems like the HIV meds are more likely to make recreational drugs dangerous via overdose (increasing effects of amphetamines and ecstasy) or making the drugs more toxic (alcohol more likely to cause pancreatitis, or Ketamine more likely to cause liver problems). Recreational drugs don’t directly make HIV meds ineffective. However, being a druggie makes it far more likely that the person is going to be irresponsible and skip pills which indirectly would make the treatment less effective.
I feel a bit sorry for him, and very sorry for his family. And the media handled the story very badly. But the lifestyle Sheen was living made this scenario a high risk, in the same way that smoking cigarettes hugely increases someone’s chance of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. Years ago, people started smoking without knowing the risks. Now they do. That applies to Charlie too. It’s not a case of saying serve you right and it’s all your own fault or you brought it all on yourself. But he must have known he was engaging in dangerous behaviour. And while I do not know the circumstances here, a partner should be made aware of a potential partner’s HIV status before deciding whether to sleep with them. Even if there isn’t a legal requirement to do so, there’s a moral one.
Why is this guy getting air space? He is scum.
And still not taking responsibility for his behavior. Why does he need to badmouth the women he was with? He hasn’t stopped being a self-important little shit.
I am not optimistic about his commitment to philanthropy, but I hope he does use the platform he now has for good. God knows he has done enough evil already.
He’s already put HIV back in the headlines and got people talking about it again, so that’s a good thing.
Are you not supposed to disclose that you have HIV when you have sex? If he’s had that many partners, how has this story not gotten out sooner? Can they not sue you if you don’t inform them?
Maybe that’s what the “extortion” story is about.
It sounds like he has made several confidential settlements to keep it out of the courts. I suspect that what he is really talking about when he claims to have paid off “extortionists”.
One site–TMZ, maybe?–said that everyone who visits his house signs an NDA, so that might be a factor.
There was also something on – where a legal analysis said Charlie could face a charge for every time he did not disclose his status and the penalty is 6 months in jail and the said he could face potentially hundreds of charges.
Legally, maybe you are not obligated to disclose the presence of HIV if your viral load is so low that it’s undetectable. Hence Charlie bringing his doctor along to verify. At that point, he would be in the same category as anyone declared HIV negative. Charlie has medical backup on that point since he’s been repeatedly tested. He should act as though he was potentially contagious, but he actually would be potentially less of a danger than someone who simply has never been tested.
Everyone really needs to act as though their partner could be carrying a contagious sexually transmissible disease – because in reality, they could be. But realistically, there are different levels of risk.
No. Legally, if ever you tested positive for HIV (and I mean after ruling out false positives), you are HIV positive for life and must disclose. There is no grey area here.
Here in Canada, I’m fairly certain its against the law to knowingly hide your positive status. Like, you could be charged with attempted murder or assault? I have a memory of a case going to court the past few years on it. Lawyer celebitches who know and can clarify? I would feel a deep sense of satisfaction if this craploadded douchebag goes to jail for this. finally. he is a horrible human.
But do the disclosure rules vary depending on the jurisdiction? In different states, for example. I find it hard to believe that Charlie would openly admit to any of this unless he was secure against prosecution. It must be hard to prove someone didn’t disclose, however. He says he did disclose, so it gets reduced to a he said/she said situation. So far, no one has claimed they acquired HIV from him.
Have to admit, can’t imagine anybody not getting a battery of tests after being with Charlie…. Or anybody well known for multiple partners and other risky activities. There is more to worry about than HIV.
@Jedi, no in Canada, you don’t have to disclose your status to every partner I think it the same in most states. You do however have to contact the partners you have had since your last negative test since you might have infected them (and one of them might have infected you and others unknowingly). You should disclose your status if you have unprotected sex as you might be sued afterward for knowingly infecting someone. The thing is, those trials are particular, and judges are very careful about them as they should. I know there’s been a recent case where a man was found guilty of giving HIV knowingly to partners in Canada but the circumstances were very particular (the guy was a sociopath basically, worst than Charlie Sheen).
There’s a reason why there is no law about disclosure to potential partners: it would create a dangerous precedent and drawing the line as to whom you need to disclose would become difficult. Discrimination against people infected with HIV and misseducation about the disease are still a very real thing (as can be seen in the threads these past few days, and this TMZ report). If you have to tell your partners, then what about your co-workers (accidents can happen at work, you can be bleeding and unconcious, etc.)? Then what about everyone else? What about other diseases? Herpes is incurable too, undiagnosed chlamydia can lead to serious problems too… Your health status should remain yours, lynching is too easy.
As for the TMZ report, yes it seems like a huge number (it is!), and having sex with a HIV + person seems scary (well having sex with Sheen no matter what seems scary), but! The truth is that in this day and age, if you live in a country with proper healthcare and drug insurance (or if you have Sheen’s money in the USA) and thus have access to healthcare and affordable drugs, you will not transmit HIV to your partner. If you take your medication and have an undetectable viral load, you will not transmit the virus, the chance is close to 0%, even if you have unprotected sex. This data comes from not so preliminary results from the PARTNER study that will end in 2017, it is a very reputable study, and very encouraging actually, the new generation of drugs work well. So I’m very uncomfortable with the scandal TMZ (and others) is trying to sell here. If Sheen’s results are what he and his MD are saying, then he most probably haven’t given the virus to anyone, regardless of the number of partners he has had.
I’m not saying all this because I don’t take HIV seriously. On the contrary, as someone who has lost her dad to AIDS more than 20 years ago, I take it very seriously. My dad didn’t tell my sibling and I what he was suffering from at the time, he was scared that we would be afraid of him, that we’d lose our friends if their parents were to learn it. My HIV neg mum had to tell us after he died, it still breaks my heart to think he was afraid we would stop loving him had we known, that and the amount of crap my mum had to endure from her colleagues who were afraid of her. So I take discrimination against HIV patients very seriously too. The way Sheen’s announcement is treated doesn’t help at all people with HIV.
Humm re-reading my comment it seems like I’m saying that there’s nothing to fear about having unprotected sex with someone who’s HIV+ or that it is morally acceptable not to disclose your status to your partners. So let me be clear: close to 0% is not the same as 0% and you should tell their partners about your HIV status (or if you have herpes). There is always a small chance, this chance is even more drastically reduced by the use of a condom (so use it! All the time!). But, for developped countries where drugs and healthcare are affordable, the main risk of transmission comes from people that have not been tested and do not know they are carrying the virus.
Not trying to be a negative nilly, but there is a lot of GRAY area in this because how and when you are required to disclose is based on your jurisdiction. Also, you have to prove several things to make this a criminal act anywhere. First that he knew his disease and didn’t disclose it. He is claiming he did disclose to all his partners after he knew it. The women would have to provide some evidence to the contrary. Now having multiple women that fall within his established first positive blood test claim he didn’t tell them would help in a criminal case, but he could try and have doctors claim that he was told he wasn’t a risk, which is kind of what he did on Today. The sad thing is that if several of these women are HIV+ and they could connect the strains, which might be hard with his antiviral load, then they would have a better case for a criminal prosecution and definitely civil suits. Hopefully that is not the case, but with his reputation if no one reveals themselves as HIV+ with this many partners people are going think he had to have used some sort of protection regularly at the very least.
Where does one get the time to have 200 sexual partners in two years? I feel bad for him, HIV is serious no matter who gets it, but this is a tragedy that could have been avoided.
Shame on Sheen if he didn’t disclose that info to his partners. But shame on his bed mates as well. It’s Charlie “Freaking” Sheen. Why would you have sex with him knowing how he operates. And before someone starts in on me this is not victim blaming. This is pointing out that this man is known for having a lot of partners yet women still chose to participate in risky behavior with him, condom or not.
It is believed that most of those women were sex workers. There is your answer. Charlie Sheen is probably not much different than their normal clientele. The reality is that good men are not likely to be paying for the services of sex workers.
Its probably a combination of intoxication, self destructive tendencies, psychological compulsion to please (inability to say no), money and status climbing, and naivety. Common sense isnt super common. But then Charlie has a moral and legal obligation not to exploit the above, so it still 100 percent falls on him.
Merritt – I hate to tell you but many men you consider good men will have paid a sex worker at some time. Most people who do are ‘normal’ guys, also most sex workers, and certainly the ones Sheen hired would insist on condoms. It’s their livelihood. Your post shows a huge misunderstanding of sex work and not a small amount of prejudice.
@Neonscream
I have no issue with sex workers. I take issue with the johns. The johns are the one who cause the problems and almost never get punished for it. I never said sex workers would not insist on condoms, so do not claim that I did.
And I believe that men who go to sex workers are not good men. And if someone I previously considered to be a good man did go to one, then I would not longer consider him to be a good man.
If any of the stories floating around have a shred of truth in them, I can believe 200. A party lifestyle, money, and a lot of time on his hands…
His alleged NDA document begins by saying something like, ‘in exchange for the opportunity to associate with and spend time with (CS)…’
Some opportunity. But I bet a lot of people took it during the past couple of years.
Group stuff. The numbers add up quickly when you’re having sex with 2, 3, or 4 other people at a time.
Plus he was paying additional people as procurers so it’s not like he was spending hours a day online or at the clubs finding these people. He hired other folks to do that for him.
I’m wondering how he does it, considering all the alcohol and other drugs he ingests. Not exactly conducive to male “performance”. Maybe he doesn’t but just thinks he does a lot of the time…
200 is possible particularly for a man with money and access to everything. 2 to 4 partners a week is believable.
Especially when you consider he hasn’t really worked in a few years. All he must do is bum around the house or other places, living this lifestyle.
I got halfway through his self-valorizing, and self-congratulatory letter, and had to stop, as I was so irritated. His martyrdom is an insult to good men and women who have contracted the disease. There is nothing heroic about Charlie Sheen.
I too got half way through and just had to stop. I’ve tried to have sympathy because the stigma involed with this disease. But that letter made me angry. He is no hero or victim.
Completely agree. I thought this same thing when the news broke. He shouldn’t be the “face” of someone who contracts HIV since he has lived as such an outlier or society. I feel bad for the good people who are also stricken with the disease. Charlie Sheen doesn’t help reduce a stigma.
Yes. If anything he confirms the old damaging stereotypes about HIV. The vast majority of people watching this unfold arent thinking, “this could happen to me, better start taking precautions”. They are thinking, “HIV is for people who live as wrecklessly as Charlie, I’m doing just fine”.
I agree, I think this is really bad for the entire HIV and AIDS community. The misinformation in the comments about HIV tests and HIV is astounding. Presently, no one has come forward as having contracted HIV from Charlie, and I pray it stays that way. As that is the only good news for the HIV and AIDs community, because if someone who had that many sexual partners and who most people think wasn’t really all that safe, but he is incredibly wealthy. I believe he had the best medical care, and if he didn’t infect any of the 200+ people then great strides have been made in HIV anti viral medication.
This is a sad situation, granted it is Charlie’s own making, but still sad. The good news is this case is not past any statute of limitations, and the women will get a chance at court either criminal or civil if they want. I feel we should let this play out and see what happens. Just all the gossip does stigmatize other HIV positive patients and may prevent others from doing what is right with there health and others.
“HIV devastated to learn it has Charlie Sheen.”
This is more like it – I can just see HIV shaking its fist at the sky, hurt and angry. “Why God, why me? Why did you infect me with Charlie Sheen! What have I done to deserve this?!?”
@Noway We have yet to hear from Scottine, his ex-fiancée, about her HIV status. There were some pretty damning texts between them floating around, where he was threatening her and sending people to intimidate her and she was all: you know what you did! And just over a year ago she overdosed–the rumor being it was an attempted suicide.
Adding agar to the plot…..
@Naya: Speaking of stereotypes: There has been some discussion online that he MUST have had gay sex too, otherwise he would not have gotten HIV. So “this can’t happen to me” is much broader than you’d think. 200 partners in 2 years, mostly highly promiscuous women like prostitutes and porn stars, and no protection – no way to get HIV; one gay sex – doomed. It’s worrying how ignorant people are.
@PennyLane omg, I feel like I’m going to hell for laughing at that for some reason, but laughed I did!
OMG, PennyLane! That is wicked but funny!
I think this is a good reminder that the disease is still out there (the younger generation seems to take it lightly), but I agree this reinforces the negative stereotypes about people who contract the disease.
I think telling new partners is important, but after diagnosis it is so important to tell OLD partners. His excuse re: his goddesses doesn’t hold water, even if he got diagnosed two weeks after they broke up. He still should have told her.
One of the things that bugs me most about this whole mess is how he went on about the people extorting him for money as if they were taking money from his kids and grandkid.
Sheen musn’t think the probably hundreds of thousands if not millions he’s blown on hookers, drugs, and feck knows what else over the years with zero thought for anyone else doesn’t count, or was that coming from a “not for my kids” fund? Also how he repeatedly tried to get his child support cut back and got Denise Richards evicted from her house where she was living with his kids both from their marriage and with Brooke.
But yeah, he’s doing this for his kids….
The “that money that could have been used for my kids” bit also burned me up, Lindy. What a damned joke. The extortion money is probably a mere fraction of the money he has used over the years on his vices. Charlie’s a pathological liar.
Celebrities and their PR must think the public has zero memory of the past.
Many of us do have zero memory of past celebrity behavior. Unless it’s one of my faves or absolute least faves, I retain very little from year to year. I remember some of his tiger blood melt down, obviously, but otherwise it’s bare sketches of stories.
He’s probably running low on money now and this is why it’s suddenly a problem. Or enough settlements/angry former partners have added up that it’s starting to crimp his style.
I also don’t like how he seems to be mixing “extortion” and “legal settlement”. Those are two different things, Charlie!
I remember him getting an insane amount of money after getting kicked off of two and a half men. He went to court for that money now I see why. He needed it for pay offs. I can’t believed he burned through all that money.
Even if he only learnt it after they had broken up, he should have informed her right after learning it so that she could have been tested. Not in informing previous sex partners after a diagnosis is very irresponsible.
Yeah, how do you NOT tell your previous girlfriend? He doesn’t know when he became infected. Douchebag.
I wanted to say the same thing. He couldn’t tell her because they broke up before he found out? Is that his excuse? And he didn’t reach out to her afterwards and told her? He is aware that the virus can spread even if you are not aware having it, isn’t he?
Scumbag dude does scumbag things.
i have a hard time believing he wasnt having annual insurance tests including an hiv test for 2.5 men and that the actual diagnosis date he is providing is the real date
but i wouldnt believe anything he says
I think you’re right. He very likely got tested regularly for HIV and other things he was at risk for, both because of contractual requirements and for his own purposes. He has the money to do that. So he might have contracted it after he broke up with Bree.
Even if the diagnosis date is real, the infection date would be undetermined. If he was with these women two weeks before being diagnosed, he should have told them. If he was previously tested, this means he was with these women in the window between his last negative test and his positive test, when he possibly had HIV.
I completely agree!
I know that people are going to hate me for this but I have zero sympathy for Charlie Sheen. The only person is to blame is himself. He has made his bed … He should lay in it.
I have zero sympathy too.
I agree. There’s no mystery about how aids is contracted. Unless you get it by a blood transfusion, the chances of which are pretty small, it’s preventable by having safe sex and not sharing needles. I still have sympathy for someone who has it, of course. Everyone makes mistakes and that’s a terrible price to pay. But he has been so vicious and horrible and abusive to everyone who ever loved him, and lived such a depraved life, in spite of having so many advantages handed to him, I just find it hard to sympathize with him, too.
That’s why I have no sympathy for Charlie Sheen. He is a liar, abusive and utter dispicable human being. Instead of blaming his ‘whores’, even thought they have every fault for this as well. But again he blamed other people and not himself for his reckless lifestyle. Again I have no sympathy for him.
I don’t have a lot of sympathy for him either, nor his partners. I don’t wish any of them this disease, but they all behaved in high risk behaviors. I mean you have sex with Charlie Sheen who has admitted for decades to having sex with prostitutes, and with most these women probably had multiple partners while they were there. That is why I have a hard time with Godess #1 and her HIV test on Stern. Come on four years after and you haven’t tested yourself after a risky behavior, which by definition is Charlie Sheen. Also, she was in the porn industry give me a break. Who knows maybe that is his lawyers defense, because for the life of me I can’t see the advantage to publicly admitting this with even somewhat of a timeline that he provided. Granted this revelation is on par with the sky is blue, but the mere fact that you have more details doesn’t really help him at all.
Why should anyone hate you for giving your opinion and stating how you feel. You’re right, Charlie made his bed. He chose to participate in risky behavior that lead to his illness. My sympathy is for his kids who are innocent in all of this. Kids can be mean and I would hate to hear that his kids are being teased by others because of their dad’s behavior.
Thank you for that compliment. I also feel really sorry for his children, especially his oldest child, who is actually a woman. Charlie Sheen has hurt so many people, including his family, his imediate family. That is why I feel 0 sympathy for Charlie sheen.
While I feel sympathy for his young daughters, it’s not like they’re newbies at being Charlie Sheen’s daughters. I bet they are well versed in brushing it off, having had so much practice. Poor things.
I’m right with you @Kiki: NO sympathy at ALL. He is the poster boy for all things self-destructive: alcohol and drug addiction, porn and sexual addiction, abuse and violence (mental and physical) towards women, and basically a horrible human being. Just look at the way he has treated his ex-wife Denise and that says it all. His claim that he is coming forward now to stop paying out money to “salt-less desperate charlatans” in order to save his money for his children made me spit out my morning coffee laughing so hard! PLEASE Charlie, spare me your hypocrisy! And in his open letter to the press, he describes the “unsavory and insipid” women he was with…..Dude you chose to be with hookers/prostitutes/porn actresses, and now they are “unsavory” to you! The only one unsavory and disgusting to me is Charlie Sheen! Yeah, I’ll judge and I’m fine with that 😉 My sympathy and pity is reserved for his poor innocent children.
Thank you for you agreement.
I can’t sympathize with him, either. So many people are ill through absolutely no fault of their own. He has lived so recklessly for so long, he should be thankful to still be alive.
He made it to 50, yet his emotional maturity is stuck somewhere in a petulant childhood stage. I am a couple of years younger, and am amazed (not in a good way) at how little he seems to have learned in life. If he makes it to 70 or 80, he will likely still be a self-entitled jerk of a person.
Your opinion is actually in the majority around here, if you’ve been following these board.
Can’t stand the guy since forever and this changes nothing for me.
I often wondered how got so messed up. I know how some privileged kids can get pretty lost and crazy, but Charlie just seemed sooooo out of control…and not dead. But then I saw some interviews of Martin Sheen when he was young and he sounded pretty nuts too. I hope for the sake of his kids, Charlie does get his act together this time and becomes a reliable and present father, if nothing else.
It’s probably drugs, and if I do have any sympathy at all for him it is because he to me is a text book severe addict. He may get better for a bit, but he never truly gets better.
I believed Charlie Sheen behaved like someone who is bi-polar and in a manic phase with the added effects of cocaine and alcohol when he was on his winning tour. Just because he has never admitted to it does not mean he doesn’t suffer from it and perhaps the years when he appeared to be somewhat restrained was when he was taking prescribed medication.
Martin Sheen has struggled with alcohol and during the filming of Apocalypse Now was out of control and had a minor heart attack.
You are right it could be bipolar, severe drug addict, and also addict mixed with a(*)hole, but who knows. I wish this was less public because it does not bode well for any of the people struggling with any of the diseases he may or does have. As it really feeds into the negative stereotypes of people who are HIV+ or are drug addict or bipolar.
Saltless charlatan whore is my new email signature. Also my Christmas cards.
You may also consider naming your business “Unsavory and Insipid Incorporated” …..assuming some other business genius has already snapped the name up, of course.
Thank you for the chuckle this AM. Charlie Sheen can F*ck right off.
@Turkey: This is PERFECT lol!!
So much privilege and potential and he chose to use it for drugs, alcohol, and sex. It’s sad and sickening. I could see how the diagnosis would send someone who thought they were bulletproof into a major tailspin, but you can’t play with other people’s lives like that no matter how hurt you are inside. 200 women in two years is roughly two different women every week.
Be careful out there, friends.
God, I’ve been really trying to feel sympathy for this man since the story broke but I find it next to impossible. Because it’s always about him him him. He’s looking out for no. 1 and he’s just such a liar. It comes with the territory of being an addict, I know. But at what point are we out of excuses (i.e. addiction is a disease and he can’t help himself) and accept that an addict can also simply be an asshole? I’m at that point. He’s an awful person and a terrible misogynist and I wouldn’t wish HIV on anyone but I also can’t feel for him. I do feel for Denise and his kids. And I do NOT believe even for a second that he told all his partners in the last 4 years. No f*cking way.
Disgusting prick.
Chuckles Sheen is a cruel and ugly human being who has probably infected hundreds, and only disclosed to save on hush money. I hope his exes bury him in court.
The next few days and weeks will be interesting. There will probably be at least a dozen coming forward with interviews or legal threats by the weekend.
It may not be so simple. If there are “legally binding structured settlements” based on extortion or blackmail, the contracts cannot be enforced. Charlie would have to prove the extortion or blackmail, but if he can, those agreements can be deemed null and void.
I’d LOVE to see some court action! Let the lawyers have at it!
I want someone with some legal expertise to tell me the upside to publicly admitting this with an interview giving pseudo time lines. I think Charlie has a pretty good legal team, think of all the things he has gotten away with in court and through negotiations. As opposed to Cosby, I think this was the lawyers’ idea and Charlie listens to them when he is not in an out and out drug bender. Which he doesn’t look to be now. I think there were other ways to deal with this mess, even just a carefully structured letter would have given less of a chance for his comments to be used against him. I think the lawyers think this will help get rid of the payments and that they can prove in court that he informed the other women or else he could face criminal prosecution and I just don’t see how any lawyer would open that up. I know he said someone had pictures of his meds, but you could still no comment and there is always the possibility they were doctored.
Yeah, I’m thinking that what Sheen is calling “extortion” is actually something else – that he exposed and/or infected a bunch of women and then had to pay them settlements.
If you do something absolutely horrible to a person and then you pay them a settlement to cover the damages, that is not extortion! That is you using your money to escape the criminal consequences of your behavior. Jesus.
The levels of malignant narcissism this person displays are truly unbelievable. I feel sorry for his family.
I was speaking with one of my residents yesterday and was asked if I heard about this. I told her yeah and was not really surprised.
Then she mentioned that the diagnosis made since as he truly went off the rails during that time. Was absolutely right.
Did not even click with me until that was mentioned. There is one thing to be self destructive, now people are in danger and something needs to happen.
Charlie is a bad guy, we all know that. But let’s talk about TMZ, a celebrity site whose main goal is to destroy people….Amanda Bynes, Alec Baldwin, whoever their target happens to be. How many guys has Harvey “I’m a Lawyer” slept with. Not defending Carlos Estevez, but how do these people know who he has slept with other than the number of suits being filed. This is one big smelly mess. Charlie has to live with his horror, he dug his own grave….but how does one Justify this disgusting site…..except for the Kardashians, they get a pass from Harv.
You must not have frequented TMZ during the “tiger blood” and “winning” days. They were one of the few places that gave Charlie a platform and allowed him to speak his mind uninterrupted a number of times. There were several occasions where they published “exclusive interviews” with him where he spewed his vitriol and they also published several of his “open letters” to the public doing the same.
Don’t blame TMZ. His downfall is his own.
Also what does it matter how many guys Levin has slept with!? Last time I checked he didnt have a communicable disease.
I agree with your comments regarding Sheen, although I won’t give a pass to TMZ. They have blood on their hands….anything to get a scoop. Everyone was “winning” at that moment, because it was funny. This isn’t. TMZ will fall like they all do eventually, when someone comes for them and wins. Harvey Levin with his pretentious little smile is an evil man who relishes in people’s pain. And no, I’m not talking about Sheen’s pain, he did that all by himself. I think he is mentally ill and beyond the point of being saved. Scoop on TMZ at 7:30.
Who feels the need to have 200 sexual partners? 200 sexual partners in 2 years? Even 2 different partners in the 2 years since you were diagnosed as HIV positive? Who? What kind of impulse control must you not have? What kind of sociopath must you be?
And if in fact he has had 200 sexual partners and he told even half of them about the HIV we would have heard this story long ago!
I’m just trying to wrap my brain around the idea that there are 200 people who would want to have sex with him, and that’s after all his very public displays of trainwreckery.
As someone in a previous story said, pay enough money and people will do what you want. He solicited prostitutes and some are pretty destitute and probably think it is pretty flattering that a “super” star wanted to have sex with them and it was probably more money than they made in a year.
Sad, and true, swack. But I’m guessing it was more about money than star power. And how awful that his kids will read these stories one day when they’re old enough.
pretty sure most, if not all those women were hookers. they will put up with anything if the price is right – see Josh Duggar”s hooker who despite being frightened by him still met up for more sessions.
My guess (based on things floating around for at least a couple of years) is that it was partying, paid sex workers, etc. Also keep in mind that whole ‘goddess’ scenario he was doing with multiple women.
It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that he suffers from sex addiction— in addition to his drug abuse and alcoholism.
Probably so. Have to wonder if part of his delay in going public was so he could selfishly maintain a flow of people to satisfy that particular addiction.
Dollars to doughnuts Sheen has hypersexual disorder.
Yes, I try not judge sexual activity by adults, but it’s hard not to flinch at 200 partners in a lifetime, let alone in two years.
That’s actually a small number compared to those reported for professional athletes and rock stars on tour…. Not unusual for such men to have several encounters daily with strangers. Charlie was rather restrained, considering. Probably the numbers got boosted due to parties, since he often had long-term relationships with his “goddesses”.
THAT is what I don’t understand. If he just HAD to have female companionship, why not get a group of 6 or 10 and just rotate them out? Why did it have to be new girls every week? I don’t understand that. New girls every week for one single solitary man. WTH??
There is REALLY something wrong with that picture. Instead of “delivering the cure”, I wish Charlie would just quietly take his meds and get some professional mental help so he can get to the bottom of his issues. That would be so much more useful to himself and his family/friends, rather than trying to make himself this great martyr for the HIV community.
I believe Bree over Charlie. He has been caught lying so many times, he is not credible. I don’t think there is any question that he knowingly exposed women to HIV.
And even if it is true that Charlie was diagnosed AFTER they broke up (as his rep is now claiming today) isn’t he obligated to tell her and his other exes that he is HIV positive? Because God knows when he contracted it??!! He said he told his ex-wives and he and Denise broke up in like 2006 and he was diagnosed in 2011. Come on! Even in his Today show interview he admitted to drinking/and using drugs during the time he claimed to be sober (2011 when he was on his infamous tiger blood and winning meltdown). He is an admitted liar and an addict. Yeah I will take the word of those “insipid and unsavory” types over Charlie’s any day!
That’s what I was coming on here to say. There are a lot of reasons Charlie Sheen is a dirtbag, but he really should have gotten in touch with her and told her so that she could get checked. I’m not even going to say “I can’t believe this guy,” though, because it’s Charlie Sheen.
Exactly. Even if he was diagnosed after the breakup, he should have informed her of his diagnosis. The other woman he was living with at the same time as Bree also said he did not tell her about his diagnosis.
It’s not mutually exclusive. He only said that he didn’t have uninformed sex with them before he was diagnosed. He didn’t say he told his previous partners. His lawyers are saying he was diagnosed after they broke up, which I am guessing they can prove with a lab test or they wouldn’t let that leak.
I don’t believe any of them and I only slightly believe the lawyers, I think this really needs to go to court. Keep in mind the disgusting behavior that Charlie did was essentially the same behavior most if not all of his sexual partners did. Charlie Sheen’s known and sometimes highly visible risky sexual and drug behavior is the definition of high risk behavior. He is a walking advertisement that I might and probably do have a sexually transmitted disease. Keep in mind odds are one if not more of them infected him, unless it was the needles and still someone infected him. I doubt that person or persons informed him either, not that this makes his actions any better. Just with this many pieces you don’t know which came first and it really should be settled in a court, and as opposed to Cosby the statute of limitations isn’t a factor. Let it begin and pray that no more are infected.
As long as the media or Hollywood, does not make him a “hero”….
That number is pretty low.
I would guess twice that amount.
There is 24 hours in a day, weekends and holidays
Its amazing to me how this guy is still alive. Anybody else who’s done the stuff he’s done would be dead by now. Is he ever going to hit bottom and get clean? And he still has a career! Amazing! I guess his former publicist wasn’t in favor of his big reveal, he’s got a new one now
The only sympathy I have for Sheen is that I wouldn’t want anyone to have HIV. Beyond that – none. The man has known since 2011. He’s been treating his body like absolute shit since then. He’s slept with so so so many people (how long has he been considered free from spreading HIV – they made sure to say he was clear of spreading the virus, but did they say for how long that’s been the case?) and I have considerable doubts that he was clear with even half of his partners.
The man has been drunk and strung out for such a large portion of the last 6 years – and I seriously doubt many of his lady friends were completely sober when they had sex with him. I’d assume that if that were the case, then they can’t legally be held accountable even if he did tell them, since you can’t really consent to sex while under the influence.
“Nick Rhoades, an HIV-positive man living in Iowa, who had an undetectable viral load, was sentenced to 25 years after a single sexual encounter during which he used a condom but did not disclose his HIV status” — assuming that Charlie didn’t tell even a few partners, he should be getting a worse sentence than this guy got. But it’s hard to say what would happen – it’s California, and Charlie is a celebrity with a big bank account.
Word, sista.
In the Nick Rhoades case, the other man brought the charges even though he did not test positive for HIV. Nick used a condom and had a viral load at the undetectable level. There is no reason to believe that he was deliberately trying to transmit the virus, on the contrary he was doing what you’re supposed to do to prevent it. The 25 year sentence was insane. Fortunately, it was eventually reduced to time served plus several years probation.
This kind of criminalization relating to HIV status is bound to backfire. Why get tested if that can get you put into jail later on if someone claims you didn’t disclose? Better not to know, is what many might think. It’s like putting women into jail for being drug addicts and pregnant. Great way to keep people from getting medical attention when they need it.
There has to be a more creative and effective method to deal with disclosure problems than just tossing more people into jail. People like Nick Rhoades don’t belong in jail. Even Charlie Sheen doesn’t belong in jail over this. Prison sentences have very limited usefulness.
100% agree with you, this form of criminalization is utterly counter-productive and dangerous. It can only lead to a diminution in individuals getting tested.
Oh I agree- I was just using it as an example since it had some similarities.
And I agree – there’s issues with charges relating to HIV. Under NORMAL circumstances, it shouldn’t be what it is.
But there’s a certain point – like we’re seeing with Charlie – where he might just have recklessly exposed a ton of people to an illness that could be life ending. People who then would have moved on with new partners, and who would have then potentially exposed them to the same risk. Does he belong in jail? Nick Rhodes doesn’t. But I really don’t know how I feel about Charlie – if he had unprotected sex while he wasn’t at an undetectable level, and he was drunk, and or high, and not disclosing, or bending the truth, or disclosing to women who were too drunk to understand, just so he could get his rocks off – I think there needs to be some kind of punishment for that. Monetary, or community service, or SOMETHING.
You said it yourself it was Iowa, and overturned. Iowa isn’t exactly known for its progressive thinking. Dr. Carson is leading in the polls there, probably because they think he can sell them grain from the Egyptian pyramids.
Let’s hope that people will now not have sex with Charlie – no matter what he pays them. And why blame extortionists for all your money woes when you pay out exorbitant amounts of money to have people sleep with you, for drugs and live a lifestyle you do (that basically throws money down the drain) with your current fling. I will wait and see how this plays out when it comes to him helping with the awareness of HIV/AIDs.
I think Charlie probably truly thought that he could not infect anyone, so there was no point to telling them. He was really sticking to that whole “my viral load is too low to infect anybody” stuff. And his doctor – he’s the dude from the Biggest Loser. Is he an infectious disease specialist? An HIV specialist? If not, why is he appearing with Charlie, as opposed to a specialist who actually knows about HIV? There is no “safe” level to have unprotected sex when it comes to HIV. Any person with the virus inside them can transmit it – full stop, end of story. Those with super-low viral loads are less likely to do so, but they still can. But he seems to operate under the idea that his viral load is so low, he’s “safe.” That’s why he probably never told them. And Bree stated that when he did use condoms, they were lambskin (which is essentially the same as using nothing).
I’m sure in Charlie’s deluded mind, he truly did nothing wrong. But I hope reality storms in on him really soon. There is still so, so much misinformation about HIV (heck, yesterday proved that) and it needs to be corrected. Charlie is not helping when he goes on national television and promotes misinformation.
This part of his story I don’t understand. What would compel someone to have unprotected sex with an HIV positive person, even if they were “under the care of” a doctor? Why take that risk for such a piece of turd?
Here’s what I think: Sheen got his doctor to tell both of them (presuming he is being honest and that there were only 2) that his viral load is very low and that their risk of exposure was low. Which sounds okay, but here’s the thing:
People with low viral loads are low risk – they are not NO risk. They CAN pass it on (it’s just not very likely). So my question is why he even wanted unprotected sex with them at all. Current standards state that an HIV positive person should use condoms at every, single sexual encounter unless there is a strong reason not to (such as when they try to conceive a baby). Sheen, I presume, is not trying to make any babies anymore (at least, let us pray). So why even attempt unprotected sex? Why did he not insist upon a condom every single time? Even if his partners did not insist, why did he not? Even knowing that he had unprotected sex after his diagnosis is really disturbing to me. There is no excuse for it
As for why they did it, your guess is as good as mine. Sheen might have guilted them into it (if you love me, you’ll do it). Maybe he lied to them (saying it was impossible for him to expose them). Maybe he threatened them. Maybe they were dependent on him for things. Who knows? But those are all possibilities.
ETA: If Sheen was desperate to not need condoms, there are actual communities out there that are solely for facilitating hookups and relationships solely between HIV+ people. They basically just do it with each other. Why not actively seek out positive women to connect with, as opposed to risking lives by doing what he does now? I just don’t get it.
@Sam, I totally agree with you. People have commented on how the women should know better. Yes they should but Charlie should have never put them in the position to saying no to condoms. He should automatically wrap it.
I think that the “under the care of” means that these individuals agreed to take prophylactic drugs before having unprotected sex which Sheen. It’s been proven to efficiently prevent transmission to a partner and is used by some people who have reasons to believe they are frequently exposed to the virus (though it is extremely expensive, thus a non-viable way to deal with the epidemic). Technically it should work, studies have been extremely encouraging, although it’s still not something I’d be willing to risk.
Seriously people: use condoms unless you are in a monogamous relationship and both partners have been tested (there is not only HIV around after all), and get tested every year at least if you are sexually active, even if you are in a monogamous relationship. As I mentioned somewhere, it’s very, very, very unlikely to get HIV from someone who takes its medication and has an undetectable viral load (which is why I don’t like what TMZ is trying to sell here), but that 0.001% risk can still be avoided with the proper use of a latex condom…
I think Sheen GREATLY underestimated the collective memory of the Internet and the Media and The Public’s ability to sympathize with him… Greatly, Cause the consensus seems to be “All the Side eye in the World, To You Kind Sir”
Lol, kind sir.
I think it’s also possible (meant half jokingly and half seriously) that duder has NO recollection himself of the things he said/tweeted during his drug fueled binges. There has to be some brain damage there along with the host of other likely mental issues. If it weren’t for the fact that there’s likely no way he didn’t infect another person I really wouldn’t be able to summon a crap of interest in this. He is the worst kind of scum in so many ways.
Did he only have sex with women?
I wish him and his family all the best.
Did anyone see that Piers Morgan thing in the DM yesterday? I highly recommend it if you need a good appetite suppressant. It’s just amazing to me that people do not care about the crap he’s put his ex-wives and other women through, or that he keeps having kids he won’t raise. Amazing and disgusting.
Ugh. Just read it. Oh yes, poor Charlie. Let’s ignore all the horrible things he has done and feel sympathy for poor addict Charlie who can’t possibly be responsible for his actions. Disgusting. Perhaps the people who feel sympathy for him have never been on the receiving end of the abuse of an addict. It’s not recommended, trust me.
Yep. Poor Charlie is just a fun dude who loooves to party – don’t judge him!
Piers Morgan is almost as much of an asshat as Charlie. I’m not even going to bother to read it.
Good thing you didn’t….I did and it made me want to punch a wall.
Wasn’t he ‘engaged’ to someone recently? It seems it was more recent than 2011. I remember reading that she was the one being blamed for him kicking DR and her kids out of their home.
Yes he was. Brett Rossi. She claims now that he physically assaulted her and there is a video somewhere that shows her burning up old photos of them while she is cursing up a storm. It’s not clear in the video what her reason is for her tirade (maybe she realized what an idiot she was for being with disgusting Charlie Sheen?), but I am curious to see if she makes some statement b/c I believe they broke up about a year ago, which was 2014, way after he was “diagnosed”. I posted earlier, I have zero sympathy for Sheen. He has proven to be a horrible human being again and again and my heart bleeds for his children.
Yes, thanks. I was sure it wasn’t as long ago as 2011. Surprised no one has mentioned her.
He’s a disgusting, abusive miserable excuse for a man, and I can’t feel one bit of sympathy for him.
Yeah she has not come out with anything as of yet (that I have seen). I am very curious to see if she does because I believe there was some twitter feud between them not long ago (because that is always the best way to deal with your ex right? LOL). She said something about the truth will be revealed and she had a suicide attempt last year after they broke up. Doesn’t look too good for Charlie, but again he will probably try to discredit her because she was also a “porn” star. He goes after these women so he can later call them “insipid and unsavory” trying to make himself look better. And I am in no way defending the women that choose to be with him; they too must have a lot of problems and lack of self-respect to be with an abusive sociopath. Time will tell I guess but I hope he gets his ass pulled into court…..karma has a way of catching up to people eventually IMO.
Sheen is human garbage. What is less than zero, because that’s how little sympathy I feel. He probably knowingly exposed men and women to HIV. I think he’s been infected for a lot longer than 4 years. Why didn’t he bother contacting Bree and other partners after he found out he was positive???? These people then go on to infect others. I hope he faces criminal charges for his behavior. There should be a law that all HIV positive people have to a duty to disclose (without intent) their status to those they are sharing needles with or having sex with.
If he was experiencing symptoms 4 years ago, it could have been an acute HIV infection – but more often, people are diagnosed about 5-7 years into their HIV infection when their body starts to get tired and they start getting OIs – AIDS is a disease of exhaustion. It takes time for your immune system to wear out, although copious drug use will accelerate the process.
There’s about a 95% chance that Sheen has had HIV for around 7- 10 years but only got diagnosed 4 years ago.
If that is the case I really wonder if his twin boys and Denise Richards adopted daughter Eloise (Charlie Sheen is rumored to be the bio dad her bio mom was allegedly a prostitute) are infected as well. I hope to god they aren’t.
I think so too… I think he has it for almost a decade, which makes even more telling the time of his divorce to Denise and the fact that it was recently stated that neither Denise nor their daughters have it. Didn’t they divorce when one was an infant/toddler and Denise was pregnant with her second? Why state their kids don’t have it?
You cannot give percentages on this at all, for one because 95% and and if should never be in the same post about something as serious as this. It is dangerous, because whether you mean to or not you are insinuating that some of these women and his kids may be HIV+ . Which we don’t know right now, and it is unfair to put that gossip on them especially the kids. At least for the kids the parents are saying they are not infected, and we know Bree through her Stern HIV test is not infected.
I think it is highly likely that because of Sheen’s behavior that the producers of 2 1/2 men insisted he was checked for a lot of things including HIV in his contract, especially with the size of his contract. For someone with Sheen’s reputation this would be standard procedure. Even if I believe him, which I don’t, I do think at least through his run with the show he was most likely not infected.
That’s actually a silly thing to say. And false. If tested regularly (any sexually active person should tested at least once a year and 3 months following a risky behavior, faster if the risks are higher), HIV will be diagnosed quite quickly (between a few weeks to a year post-infection). If someone waits until they get “symptoms” before they get tested, then they probably have full-blown AIDS at this point and the symptoms will have been dark spots (Kaposi’s sarcoma), oral yeast infections, frequent colds turning into pneumonia, exhaustion… But you’ll need to have to have a fairly low T cell count already and the virus has to be very active to actually feel something. There aren’t really symptoms of being HIV positive, nothing someone who’s lazy enough with their health not to be tested will notice anyway. Which is why so many people carry it without knowing, they think they could “feel” if they were sick and it’s simply not true. There’s no time frame for switching from HIV + to AIDS if the person is not medicated; for some like my dad, it can take 2-3 years, others could probably have stayed + all their life even without medication (Magic Johnson for instance, but he is an exception). Medication helps keeping the virus latent.
I’m certain that someone with Sheen’s very public history of risky behaviors is asked to be tested regularly by inssurances companies whenever there’s a gig to sign. So it seems reasonnable to think that his infection was caught early on. Sheen remains a piece of trash of course, but there’s no reason to speculate about his kids’ and exes status: if he and his MD say he was diagnosed 4 years ago then he very likely caught it 4 years ago.
A gay friend back in 2002 told me that for some gays being a HIV + is a gift, that some actively seek by engaging in very high risk sexual behavior. It’s incredibly stupid and irresponsible from a health, financial and public health perspective. Millions of dollars go to HIV drugs so that these idiots can get infected or reinfected by a new strain of HIV. They then have to research newer drugs to combat these new or multi strains of HIV. They also qualify for FREE drugs and used to qualify for free housing and other social services such as disability. It’s such a joke.
http://www.watermarkonline.com/2013/11/20/to-achieve-a-positive-hiv-status-some-gay-men-proudly-practice-risky-behaviors/
This is called “bug chasing” and it’s a real thing. The best guess about why people do it is because they want a sense of belonging and being cared for, and they think contracting HIV will help them with that.
Most prominent LGBT organizations deny, or at least dispute, that bug chasing is a real thing. They do this largely because they do not want to give any ammo to anti-gay organizations who will use the phenomenon as “evidence” that gays are deviants or sick. But it does seem to be quite real. A lot of people who do it seem to believe that if you are a fairly sexual active gay man, you will inevitably get HIV anyway, so it’s better to simply acquire the infection quickly to get it over with. And most of them believe that HIV is no longer a big deal and it can’t kill you. Stuff like this is why it is so important to counter any misinformation about HIV.
What do bug chasers have to do with this story regarding Charlie Sheen? Do you think Charlie is a bug chaser? Years ago a friend told me about a group of White Straight guys who have sex with dogs.They discuss the best breeds to screw ,how to prep the dogs,etc.So maybe I will post a link to their online support group so we can discuss how disgusting these straight guys are.
Yes there are bug chasers just like there are men who have sex with toddlers,sex with dogs.There are many sub groups who engage in deviant behavior.There is enough hatred and disgust of gay men already.
I’m bringing this up to highlight irresponsible sexual behavior and an overconfidence among people that HIV is just another chronic disease. Also, emphasizing that HIV + positive people can be exposed to new strains of the virus, requiring different anti-vital meds. Additionally, all these meds and new ones cost a ton of money and people should not be reckless with their sexual practices. Please don’t reduce it to “bug chasers.”
No, that was specifically about gay bug chasers.There are plenty of articles about people engaging in unprotected sex and not being concerned about getting HIV because Magic Johnson looks fine.You chose an article about some disturbed individuals who are deliberately trying to get HIV.
I’m not going to go out of my way not to offend a subgroup of people who use public and private money to pay for their risqué sexual behavior.
I see the possible infection of the women he slept and/or did drugs with as part of his abuse of women. It’s all abuse.
LEAH this was my Exact take on it as well. Just further abuse to others –
I wonder if he has money to pay child support after all these women have sued him. He deserved to loose money if he did not tell people about his HIV status.
I would hope (but not expect) that he has put money away in a trust for his kids otherwise there will be nothing left for them. What a waste of a life.
Charlie got over 100 million payout for Two & A Half Men in 2011 that is being paid out over 5 -7 years. This show is on 24/7 however he is crazy (duh) and paying this all back out, along with everything else , seems like he really hates himself. He needs to grow up stop putting a gun to his head and not pulling the trigger. This is going to mess up anyone he may care about, so Charlie your 50 get it together.
I wonder (and doubt) whether he had the sense to talk to a decent lawyer before doing this interview. There are potential civil and criminal penalties if anybody can meet the legal standards to show he didn’t disclose. Also, why the hell is it celebrities can go on TV and talk about doing all these drugs and there’s no repercussions? If I go on TV and say I oh yeah, I was doing all these heavy drugs, I’d expect the police to be showing up. Soliciting prostitutes is also illegal. I think there’s reasonable debate as to whether criminalizing drugs or prostitution is a good idea or not, I’m just saying, damn, as a regular person, I’d be expecting an arrest warrant or 6 after advertising info like that.
According to other sites – think ROL (and please take this with a grain of salt, because who knows what is true and what is not) his lawyers did not want him to do this. Whether ROL has the real scoop on this or not is debatable.
Over 200?? If that’s true, they might as well establish a class action, jeezus.
I thought it was weird when Matt Lauer asked how many people he’s paid and he said he didn’t want to guess wrong. You’d have to GUESS? To me, that said either he knows the number of people he’s paid off but didn’t want to admit to the number, or he really isn’t sure b/c his people handled it while he was busy being cracked out. Either way, that answer says a lot about his credibility regarding other answers.
Holy hell, if that open letter is not the very picture of pathological narcissism, I can’t imagine what is.
“These maladies range from lupus to cancer, from paralysis to blindness, from diabetes to obesity. “Treated,” HIV is no different.”
Bullsh*t. You can’t transmit blindness or diabetes to someone else.
I wouldn’t wish HIV, or any other malady on another person, and the *only* sympathy I have for Charlie is in that sense. As for the rest, he can f*ck right off. His doctor also sounds like he’s got some of the Celebrity Doctor Sychophant thing going.
I hope somebody from amfar or similar comes out with a statement underscoring any truths about HIV that Charlie or his doctor are skewing, the duties those with a positive status have, legal or otherwise, and especially underlining that the vast majority of people who contract HIV are NOT like Charlie.
Agreed @tabasco! That letter was vile and completely evident of his narcissist sociopath personality; he refuses any culpability in his long list of atrocious behaviors. I am sorry that his self-destructive path finally led him to be HIV positive, but F**K, that is where addiction leads you: prison or death. Hopefully now, since he is still alive, he will go to prison. There is no way in hell I believe he divulged his HIV status to the scores of women he has been with. NO WAY. They were all probably too wasted to even know what day it is!! Of course it would be nice to see him clean up his life as others have done; Robert Downy Jr is a good example. It is possible to get sober and get well, but Sheen never seems interested in that option, only in perpetuating his self-destructive behaviors which take out everyone else in his life as well.
I can’t believe these women agreed to have unprotected sex with a well known drug addict.
All of the above. And THIS ^.
Hesitant as I was to open the Today link and read his open letter, I am glad I did. Below the letter and his doctor’s statement is a sad yet inspiring story about a teenager with a terminal form of muscular dystrophy that will likely end his life by his mid-20s.
The 19 year old and his family are worth reading about instead of Charlie. THEY should be the lead story, in my opinion.
I couldn’t read much of his open letter; it’s repulsive, as he is. To turn around and call the women whose company he willingly–eagerly–sought out “unsavory and vapid” makes him a huge, arrogant hypocrite, on top of so many other awful things. I think his choices of female company—prostitutes–reflect this man’s hideous misogyny. These are women he feels intellectually and, apparently, somehow, morally superior to, and in power and possession of since he pays them, exactly the kind of domineering position that any man who hates women is drawn to. I have a feeling his tendencies towards physical and emotional abuse of women know no boundaries, and what better way than to enforce cruelty on a woman–and go largely unreported for it—than to take it out on highly paid prostitutes, women who are viewed as “unsavory” by so much of society, and who are marginalized in society as well. (Who would you believe, a vapid, immoral, filthy prostitute or me? I can imagine him thinking, when he gets away with acts of abusiveness which, for the most part, he can simply buy his way out of. That’s yet another reason, imo, for his attraction to prostitutes: his bad deeds can go unnoticed, unreported.) Now when HIV+ has caught up w him, it is repugnant yet unsurprising that he is basically blaming the “unsavory” women whose company he prefers and seeks out, almost as if his association w them were an accident that he is being unjustly accused of, and as though he thinks he is clearly so far above such women, that no one could possibly blame *him* for his own condition: it has to be somebody “unsavory”, somebody else. This is pure addict behavior–the refusal to take *any* responsibility for one’s own actions and choices, to blame everyone else for one’s problems. He is also a full blown narcissist, and I highly doubt he has the slightest pang of conscience for the way he hurts others. IMO, that makes him something of a sociopath, who will continue his behavior b/c he thinks he’s invincible and b/c he simply couldn’t care less who he harms–and even possibly kills, indirectly. He really is a dangerous, endangering person, and the only sympathy I feel is for all those affected by him and his ruthless, indifferent, uncaring actions and their consequences.
So much this. I find his attitudes towards women probably the top of the list disgusting thing about him. And I tend to think that anybody like Piers (whose article I still haven’t read and don’t plan to) who misses the absolute ginormous misogyny at work in Charlie probably shares some level of that misogyny. He shouldn’t be allowed to raise daughters (or sons, for that matter), and it has not a damn thing to do with his HIV status.
Yes, yes, and yes ^^^^ Anyone defending him is missing the point of his misogyny and hypocrisy. The way he described the prostitutes/porn stars HE hired in that letter made me so angry. And I agree with the other poster above as well ^^, his attitude towards women (his ex wives, ex-girlfriends, porn stars/hookers, whomever) is what makes me despise this man and leaves me with ZERO sympathy for his plight now. I almost feel sorry for the HIV community that they have to have his pathetic face as their “poster boy” now. He is a walking advisement for all things STD, drug/alcohol/sex addiction related and yet does nothing about ever getting help for any number of his multiple problems. The ONLY reason he came forward now is because the tabloids were going to break the story and he was probably tired of paying millions out to keep people quiet. There is no honor in that. Furthermore, I still doubt he will get sober even now. He is too much of a narcissistic sociopath to ever take responsibility for his own actions or problems. God help his poor children who have to live in the shadow of their father’s repugnant legacy.
I have zero sympathy for him, (not that I think anyone deserves to get HIV – nobody does) but his actions have proved he’s a disgraceful human being. Clearly he only has his own interests and agenda in mind, he knowingly put other peoples health and lives at risk so he could continue having regular sexual intercourse with not just one but an endless supply of people! He uses and abuses people. I’ll save my sympathy for his victims and his children.
I wonder if he was the cause to the outbreak in the porn industry a few years ago?
Reminds me of the Sexual Healing episode of South Park.
“Okay okay alright alright, hang, hang on guys. I mean, come on, this is getting a little ridiculous. Wizard aliens? We all know what’s going on here, don’t we? Whenever a story breaks about some rich famous guy going around and having sex with tons of girls, we all wanna act like we don’t understand it, but we do. We’re guys, you know? Our brains are wired to strive to be the alpha male and get all the women we can. I mean, look where we are. Even, even Benjamin Franklin screwed everything that moved. Because he could. We don’t have to condone what these rich, famous people do, but… we can at least admit that, given the same temptations and opportunities that somebody like Tiger Woods has, a lot of us guys might do somethin’ similar.”
Okay everyone in this equation is nasty. 200?? Was the life risk worth it?
All the news websites I have visited, including Washington Post and New York Times, have sided with Charlie, claiming what the women did was indeed extortion and, in fact, since HIV isn’t that big a deal now and millions of people live with it, the laws requiring people who have it to report it need to be changed, since those laws were initiated during the AIDS hysteria in the 1990s and no longer apply now.
I cannot post links since I’m a complete computer feeb, but they were there. According to prominent news sources, Charlie is an innocent victim of malicious hussies.
I feel sorry for Charlie and wish that disease on no person, but what do those type comments say about how media feels about women?
I sincerely hope I have made my thoughts clear since I’m a real old lady. 🙂
I completely understand what you’re saying, and it is sad.
And, what they are saying really doesn’t make a lot of sense. If HIV isn’t a huge deal now (as they say), then by their own logic, why didn’t he come forward sooner? There would be no alleged ‘shakedown’ if he had been upfront long ago.
I dont know how this assclown has made it past 50 years old.
I don’t know, either, especially when so many decent people suffer, through no fault of their own.
Imagine if he’d taken care of himself. Then again, I won’t be surprised if he lives to 90. Life isn’t fair sometimes.
You are sh*tting me! Off to WaPo and NYT and others to see their write-ups and post ranty comments if necessary….
I mean, yeah, it was technically extortion and I’m sure reasonable arguments can be made about whether laws made in the midst of 90s hysteria need changing, but the poor victim Charlie vs. malicious hussies = straight up sexist bullsh*t that needs a solid smacking down.
Something (sort of?) nice (??)…. In all seriousness, given his tendency towards drug and alcohol abuse, the way he must be blowing through his money, the high probability that he will endanger himself or others by not taking proper care of himself, or by just, y’know, continuing to be Charlie Sheen, beating up on women, screwing up employment, etc., and what appears to be lack of grasp on reality and rationality, I wonder if a conservatorship a la Britney is not in order. Whether he should or not, we all know his arse isn’t going to prison because California. And any rehab would be short term. But the guy seems to need some kind of protective custody – to protect him and other people from him. So, if you’re Martin Sheen (have we heard from him in all this, by the way?) and you know CS is a ticking time bomb, would some kind of conservatorship work? I mean, if you really were at a point where, ok, you know this person is never going to be well b/c of mental illness, drugs, or a combo, plus he’s got a virus that might turn into something hideous that kills him if he’s not careful (and the guy has decades of not careful behind him), and you love him b/c he’s your son even if he is a total POS, what’s the best thing to do for him and those around him?
If CS wasn’t a 50 year old man, if half of his behavior was on a younger female, a conservatorship wouldn’t sound absurd. See: Lindsay Lohan.
Martin has spoken out (apparently he mentioned Charlie’s situation during an appearance yesterday). He says he’s proud of him, etc., and offered to cancel his scheduled engagement and accompany him when he made his public statement. Charlie supposedly told him this was his, alone.
I really don’t know what I would do if I were Martin and his wife. They probably have to walk on eggshells, given his volatile outbursts and how addicts will shun people. The one hitch to trying for a conservatorship right now is that Charlie is portraying himself as A-OK. All the crazy behavior is in the past, he claims. It would go against the narrative.
It’s nauseating how many resources this piece of trash is consuming. Media, lawyers, PR specialists, therapists, more lawyers. What has he ever done that would be remembered?
To the extent I think about it – which is not much – I am sorry for his children, and for their mothers. I hope they can overcome the accident of their birth to such a useless father. Apparently there is enough economic stability so they do not need to worry about life’s necessities. I hope they use that leverage to find their respective ways to happiness and to living a productive, meaningful life.
I don’t know the whole story but if he slept with women without protection and knew he had HIV, i don’t feel bad if they sue him. Yes, the women should have used condoms. But if someof them knew him for a while and trusted him they wouldn’t have given it a second thought. I hope everyone is healthy.
He is still as disgusting now as he was five years ago, even moreso. And these idiotic women who still chose and still choose to sleep with him are just as foul. This is why we will continue to have diseases like this…because there will still continue to be dumb, careless and irresponsible people like the ones mentioned in this article. I couldn’t care less what happens to Charlie Sheen. He was vile way before his HIV diagnosis and he still seems smug me.
My heart completely goes out to all of his children though, especially the really young ones. Most are still school age and we know how mean some school kids can be when they tease. I hope they won’t have ti experience any of that.
am I the only one who wonders if this will finally spell the end of his acting career? His horrible abuse of people, particularly women, should spell the end for him, n’est pas?