Charlie Sheen confirmed on Tuesday that he is HIV-positive, as rumored in recent days by an onslaught of tabloid stories.<br />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.<br />Sheen said that he hired prostitutes over the years, some of whom turned around and extorted him over his diagnosis.<br />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.<br />"What people forget is that's money they're taking from my children," Sheen told Lauer.<br />"They think it's just me, but I've got five kids and a granddaughter.<br />... I release myself from this prison today."
