When was Charlie Sheen diagnosed with HIV? Actor was reportedly relieved after diagnosis

American actor Charlie Sheen has been candid about his HIV diagnosis in his new memoir, The Book of Sheen, and the Netflix documentary, aka Charlie Sheen.

In his book, Charlie explained that before his diagnosis with HIV in 2011, he was experiencing "stabbing, nonstop clusters" of headaches and "delirious night sweats that redefined 'waterbed.'"

He admitted that he had convinced himself that whatever illness he had must be terrifying.

"I had convinced myself if I did go, the malady they’d uncover would be that of grave consequence: brain cancer, spinal meningitis, a dying liver. They tapped my spine as soon as I arrived, and that was an experience I woulda been fine never owning," Sheen wrote.

However, upon receiving his diagnosis, he claimed that, as "shocking and depressing as my new status was," he also felt a sense of "relief. The relief of knowing an entire discipline of high-tech medicine was at my disposal to drive that bastard into submission."

"To counterattack the invaders, the doctors loaded their expertise into what seemed like every IV bag in the city. The pricey meds couldn’t kill that f***er, but they could keep it from killing my spirit," he added.

Later, an outing with a friend to Sunset Boulevard for a cheeseburger and a cigarette, "brought the first rays of normal, and with that, some actual hope." He explained that "the sun felt brighter as I caught my reflection in the car window next to me, and that’s when I saw myself finally smile."

"Leaving the burger joint heading back to Cedars, we passed my favorite ’90s club, On the Rox. As I time-traveled back inside her thrilling cocoon with Bing, Heidi, and my twentysomething self, he was smiling too – but the one in the car was more peaceful," Sheen wrote.

He goes on to say that he now thinks about his illness breifly, "once a day for 20 seconds because I have to, that’s the time it takes to eat the poison that tames the evil stowaway."

Meanwhile, in an interview with People Magazine, Charlie admitted that he knows for a fact that he "never passed it on."

"I did have to tell them": Charlie Sheen's ex-wife opens up about sharing his HIV diagnosis with their children

In a March 31, 2025, interview on Jana Kramer's Whine Down podcast, Charlie Sheen's ex-wife, Denise Richards, who he married in 2002, discussed how she informed their daughters, Sami Sheen and Lola Sheen, about his HIV diagnosis.

Charlie Sheen made his HIV diagnosis public for the first time during an interview on the Today show in 2015. Denise expressed feeling "upset" with Charlie, stating that he didn't give her a heads-up before he publicly disclosed his diagnosis.

"I did have to tell them, because this is where I was kind of upset with Charlie that he didn’t warn me," she said.

She explained that the news was everywhere, and she had to pick their daughters up early from school that day to ensure that they didn't hear about it from other kids.

"I had to have a conversation about that," Denise said.

The 54-year-old admitted that it was "hard to explain" their father's diagnosis. However, she added that it was the only time she had to share such serious information with them.

"But that was the only time I can remember. There’s been a few things that I’ve had to have conversations with them about. But for the most part, I really tried to shelter them from a lot of stuff," she said.

Charlie Sheen's book The Book of Sheen was released on September 9, while his Netflix documentary, aka Charlie Sheen, was released the following day on September 10.