Charlie Sheen confirmed on Tuesday that he is HIV-positive, as rumored in recent days by an onslaught of tabloid stories.
Sheen told Matt Lauer on the "Today" show that he is going public with his illness for multiple reasons, including that he's been blackmailed for upwards of $10 million since he was diagnosed four years ago.
Sheen said that he hired prostitutes over the years, some of whom turned around and extorted him over his diagnosis.
Sheen told Lauer that one woman took a cellphone photo of the antiretroviral HIV medication he had in his bathroom and threatened to sell the image to the tabloids.
"What people forget is that's money they're taking from my children," Sheen told Lauer.
"They think it's just me, but I've got five kids and a granddaughter.
... I release myself from this prison today."