Today’s major story gone viral is how actor, Charlie Sheen, will reveal he’s HIV-positive on tomorrow’s Today Show.
The morning news program sent out a press release that announced “Charlie Sheen will make a revealing personal announcement in a live in-studio interview with Matt Lauer tomorrow.” That’s all the detail NBC provided, but many outlets, including People magazine, are quoting sources that say the recent story that broke in the National Enquirer, claiming Sheen is HIV-positive, is true.
Hollywood publicist and crisis manager Howard Bragman tells People he was “approached by people close to Sheen six months ago to deal with the crisis, but never dealt with him directly.”
“The interview could open up a lot of sympathy for him, but he has to be concerned about a fear of litigation from former sexual partners. You don’t take that lightly.” Bragman said he was told that Sheen “is getting treatment, and a lot of people in his life know about it.”
“It’s been going on for quite awhile. He’s not necessarily comfortable talking about it. It was very hard to get up the courage for him to talk about it.”
“I’ve known about this a long time, it’s not a surprise to me,” Bragman told People. “I feel very sorry for his pain. And I hope it’s used as a teachable moment for the world. This is a disease that can affect anyone.”
The People write-up mentions how the actor has struggled with substance abuse and has admitted to soliciting prostitutes.
His life over the years has been volatile, including a public feud with Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre and subsequent ugly departure from the CBS sitcom. His behavior was unpredictable, with the actor a punch line and headline grabber for many weeks afterward.
When reached by People, Sheen’s longtime publicist Jeff Ballard said they’ve split. “We had a disagreement how to handle a situation and we parted ways. We have had a 35-year friendship and I love him. I wish him nothing but the best.”
Via People Magazine