Moments ago, Charlie Sheen confirmed that he’s HIV positive in an interview with Matt Lauer.
Sadly, the revelation was not unexpected, as rumors that Sheen was battling the disease began to build over the past week after multiple insiders was verified that an A-list star had been diagnosed with the virus.
In one of the interview’s most surprising moments, Sheen revealed that he’d learned about his condition four years ago, when intense migraines and night sweats led him to undergo testing.
Now, several sources are claiming that many in Hollywood were aware of Sheen’s illness long before the news went public today.
In fact, according to Radar Online, the actor’s health concerns were such an open secret within the industry that they were revealed to be a frequent topic of conversation amongst execs following the Sony email hack of 2014.
A message sent by an exec on March 10 of last year referred to Sheen as a “a drug addict and HIV positive.”
Sheen revealed during his interview today that he had revealed his diagnosis to a small circle of friends, but was forced to go public when after being repeatedly sued by ex-partners.
As those lawsuits were based on allegations that Sheen had kept his diagnosis a secret, it’s possible that industry figures who knew about his condition might now be called to testify in the various civil cases that are still sure to come.