Charlie Sheen’s career has spanned decades, from his early breakthrough performances in iconic films like 1986’s Platoon and 1987’s Wall Street to his unforgettable portrayal of the irreverent Charlie Harper on the sitcom Two and a Half Men.
Beyond his on-screen presence, the son of iconic actor Martin Sheen has shown resilience and an ability to bounce back from personal challenges, including an HIV diagnosis. Charlie’s disclosure of his disease put HIV in the public discourse and made the actor one of the most famous people in the world to be openly living with HIV.
His storyline was not without controversy, though. Several women alleged that he failed to disclose his status and put them at risk, per TMZ. In August 2022, Charlie settled a 2017 lawsuit filed by an ex-girlfriend who alleged he knowingly exposed her to HIV during sex. As part of the settlement, the actor agreed to pay the woman a total of $120,000, delivered in monthly installments of $10,000, reported TMZ, which obtained the legal documents.
Of course, at the time of his HIV disclosure, attention turned toward his ex-wife Denise Richards. The actress told Access Hollywood at the time that neither she, nor her two daughters that she shares with Charlie, Sam and Lola, were infected with the incurable disease. She insisted that Charlie contracted HIV after they divorced in November 2006, and that they had “not been intimate” since.
While Charlie continues to entertain the masses — he has a guest appearance on the upcoming comedy How To Be A Bookie — let’s learn more about his health battle, below.
In a bold revelation in November 2015 on the Today Show, Charlie opened up about his HIV-positive status, disclosing that he’d been living with the virus for the past four years. “It started with what I thought was a series of crushing headaches,” he told Matt Lauer. “I thought I had a brain tumor. I thought it was over.”
The Major League didn’t hold back as he spilled more details, revealing that he had paid upwards of $10 million to sexual partners in order to keep his disease secret, and had been the target of “shakedowns” for more money.
