Charlie Sheen Sits Down With ‘National Enquirer,’ Tabloid That Outed Him As HIV Positive

Charlie Sheen was outed as HIV positive by The National Enquirer last month, causing a media frenzy, backlash from exes and numerous lawsuits against the actor. One would imagine sitting down with a National Enquirer reporter and opening up about coming to terms with his diagnosis is the last thing Sheen would want to do but, this being Charlie Sheen, he’s surprised us once again and done just that.

Charlie Sheen Sits Down With ‘National Enquirer’

In the interview even reporter Dylan Howard can’t help expressing surprise at the move. “I didn’t think we’d ever be talking again,” Howard says, to which Sheen replies, “I didn’t either, to be honest, but here we are. Anything’s possible.”

Sheen reveals that rather than feeling angry when everything came out he felt “a tremendous weight lifted off my shoulders,” telling Howard that he wished he’d done it sooner.

The Two And A Half Men star opened up about the moment he first received his diagnosis, describing his journey from anger to determination.

“I was angry. I was in denial. I was in shock,” Sheen said, “But that didn’t last long. It was shortly afterward — I think it was the second day — I said to my mom, ‘This disease picked the wrong guy. If anybody can fight this thing and discover a cure, it’s me. I will exhaust every resource available to me. I will sit with every expert. I will move forward until something’s revealed.’ ”

Sheen has come to see a silver lining to his condition and hopes to use his position to raise awareness about the disease and treatment research.

“I am in a rare position to turn my diagnosis into a positive, and that began with telling my truth to Matt Lauer, and now I’m talking to you and The National Enquirer so that I can reach your audience with my story and continue to shine a light on this disease while brilliant scientists continue to search for a cure,” Sheen told the tabloid.

When asked to summarize his current outlook Sheen simply said, “Sober, focused, hopeful, vigilant and, um, poetic!”