I'm Here to Admit That I Am in Fact HIV Positive': Actor Charlie Sheen Makes Shocking Confession on 'Today' Show

NEW YORK (TheBlaze/AP) -- Former "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen says he has the HIV virus.

In an interview Tuesday on NBC's "Today," the 50-year-old Sheen says he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS.

"I'm here to admit that I am in fact HIV positive," he said.

Watch part of the interview below:

Sheen also claimed that he has paid off several people in his life who used the HIV diagnosis to extort him.

"How many people have you paid?" anchor Matt Lauer asked.

"Enough to bring it into the millions," Sheen replied.

Drug and alcohol use have marred Sheen's personal and professional life in recent years. He was kicked off CBS' "Two and a Half Men" in 2011 after an explosive meltdown that included calling the show's producer "a contaminated little maggot."

His escapades have also included the revelation that he spent more than $50,000 as a client of "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss' prostitution ring.

Actor Charlie Sheen (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

"Two and a Half Men" debuted in 2003 and starred Sheen as womanizing bachelor Charlie Harper. It made Sheen one of TV's highest-paid actors and at its peak was TV's most-watched sitcom.

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