Charlie Sheen Just Settled A Lawsuit That Has Followed Him For Years
Though he was once one of the highest paid actors on television, Charlie Sheen's seemingly nothing but an endless source of drama. While he was a huge star in the 1980s, modern audiences largely remember him from Chuck Lorre's "Two and a Half Men." In the series, he played the womanizing bachelor Charlie Harper. And, as it turns out, his real life wasn't all that different from his on-screen persona.
At first, this only served to heighten the comedy of the series, but the more that was revealed about Sheen's illicit activities, the less fans were willing to let slide. More importantly, Warner Bros, the parent company behind "Two and a Half Men," saw his erratic behavior such as calling himself "a total b***hin' rock star from Mars," as problematic. As a result, he was fired from the show in 2011, which more or less served as a catalyst for Sheen falling out of favor with the public at large.
From multiple ugly divorces to truly concerning interviews, Sheen spiraled out in the 2010s, hitting rock bottom after the cancellation of another comedy series, "Anger Management." And, in 2015, the actor revealed to Matt Lauer that he was, in fact, HIV positive, surprising almost no one. Now, Sheen's finally facing consequences for reckless behavior amid his diagnosis.
Charlie Sheen settles lawsuit after 5 years
Unfortunately, Charlie Sheen was not the most discriminate when choosing sexual partners. By his own admission, he put 25 people at risk of contracting HIV before coming forward. Though he didn't exactly express remorse, the actor said that "it's a hard three letters to absorb" during his "Today" revelation.
One such person, who declined to be named, filed a lawsuit against Sheen for not disclosing his HIV status back in 2017. Though the suit did not name the actor, the details all lined up, and he is widely believed to be the defendant in question, largely because she directly stated that he announced his HIV status on television. Per TMZ, the courtroom battle ended with the defendant settling with the plaintiff, agreeing to pay $120,000 in $10,000 installments.
Despite the drama surrounding his health condition, Sheen explained to Matt Lauer that he only never intended to hurt anyone. Rather he hid his HIV status due to attempts at blackmailing from people within his "inner circle." Explaining that his "trust turned to their treason," he wanted to "release [himself] from this prison" by telling his truth.