Charlie Sheen has opened up for the first time about his past sexual encounters with men in his memoir and Netflix documentary. The 60-year-old actor, known for his iconic role in ‘Two and a Half Men’, revealed that he began exploring same-sex relationships after his crack cocaine use. In his memoir, ‘The Book of Sheen’, and the documentary, ‘aka Charlie Sheen’, Sheen shared how he felt about sharing his experiences with the public.
During an interview with People magazine, Sheen explained that he decided to try something new after years of being with only women. He stated, ‘I flipped the menu over.’ He also reflected on how he felt about revealing publicly that he had previously slept with men, saying, ‘It’s f—ing liberating… [to] just talk about stuff.’
Sheen revealed that he felt he was being ‘held hostage’ by the fear of public judgment. He said, ‘There was another element to it that it did come with a tremendous amount of extortion.’ At the time, he felt like he had to ‘pay to keep it quiet’ and hoped it would ‘just stay over there’ and ‘make it go away.’
In addition to discussing his sexual encounters, Sheen also addressed his HIV-positive status, which he contracted through his past drug-fueled activities. He mentioned that people who stayed overnight at his home would take photos of his HIV medication and threaten to expose his status unless he paid them. He said he initially gave in but eventually decided to disclose his diagnosis himself.
Sheen emphasized that he never passed HIV to any of his former sexual partners, stating, ‘I do know for a fact that I never passed it on.’ He wanted to be transparent in sharing his life experiences in his memoir and documentary, noting, ‘The stories I can remember anyway.’
Sheen, who has been sober since 2017, explained that he has focused on making amends to those affected by his behavior. He also stated that he doesn’t want to portray himself as a victim in either his memoir or documentary, saying, ‘It takes two to tango.’ He added, ‘I’m not going to run from my past, or let it own me.’
The actor’s memoir will be released on September 9, and his documentary will premiere on Netflix on September 10. Sheen’s openness about his past experiences has been met with mixed reactions, with some expressing support for his honesty and others questioning the validity of the claims.