Charlie Sheen has publicly admitted to being HIV-positive in a revealing sit-down with Matt Lauer on the Today Show Tuesday morning, admitting he has spent up to $10 million trying to hide his diagnosis from the public in the four years since he found out.
Sheen’s doctor also appeared by his side on the show, revealing the former Two and A Half Men star does not have AIDS and his condition is “undetectable” in his blood after years of treating it with medication.
The 50-year-old actor said about four years ago, "It started with what I thought was a series of crushing headaches," adding, "I thought I had a brain tumor. I thought it was over."
But when he was diagnosed with HIV, he admitted, "It's a hard three letters to absorb. It's a turning point in one's life.”
Sheen said he continued the drug use and hiring prostitutes because of depression amid finding out he had HIV. "I was so depressed by the condition that I was in,” he said. “I was doing a lot of drugs. I was drinking way too much. I was making really bad decisions. That part I own, 100 percent."
Sheen admitted he didn’t tell his oldest daughter, Cassandra, until a few nights ago but his ex-wives Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller have known about this for years.
He also said he isn't worried about any litigation efforts from sexual partners, because he has told every one of them about his diagnosis ahead of being intimate with them.
“I think I released myself from this prison today,” he said.