World AIDS Day 2024: From Charlie Sheen to Billy Porter, 5 celebrities open about living with HIV

On World AIDS Day 2024, we're honouring courageous celebrities leveraging their platforms to combat HIV stigma and promote awareness, while living with the condition themselves. From Charlie Sheen who shared his story years ago to Billy Porter who recently broke free from the shame of living with it, these stars inspire change and foster a more compassionate and informed world. Let's take a look.?

5 celebrities living with HIV

Charlie Sheen

Charlie Sheen publicly disclosed his HIV diagnosis in November 2015, four years after his highly publicised departure from the hit CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.

Unfortunately, he had to reveal his condition publicly following threats from a publication warning they would out his status.?Sharing his diagnosis with Today, the veteran said, "It's a hard three letters to absorb. It's a turning point in one's life."

Billy Porter

Billy Porter's courage in sharing his HIV diagnosis publicly in 2021, 14 years after receiving it, helped raise awareness and reduce the stigma around HIV/AIDS.

?The actor confessed to The Hollywood Reporter that he had long feared disclosing his HIV status, worrying it would provide "another reason for people to discriminate against me in an already prejudiced industry".

"There's no more stigma — let's be done with that. It's time. I've been living it and being in the shame of it for long enough," Porter said.?

Jonathan Van Ness

Jonathan Van Ness, the breakout star of Netflix's Queer Eye reboot, bravely shared his HIV diagnosis in a 2019 New York Times profile, coinciding with the release of his memoir Over the Top.

Speaking to the publication, Jonathan said he initially struggled with disclosing his HIV status after Queer Eye's release but felt compelled to speak out against the stigmatisation fueled by the Trump administration, stating, "I do feel the need to talk about this."

Magic Johnson

In 1991, basketball legend Magic Johnson shocked the world by announcing his retirement from the LA Lakers after being diagnosed with HIV, helping to raise awareness and reduce stigma around the disease.

?"Because of the HIV virus I have obtained, I will have to retire today from the Lakers," he said at?a press conference at the time.?By sharing his journey and promoting education, he continues to help reduce stigma and raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Javier Mu?oz

A true Broadway legend, Javier Mu?oz, known for his powerful performances in In the Heights and Hamilton, has also been open about his personal struggles, including being a cancer survivor and living with HIV since 2002.

In 2016, Mu?oz openly shared with The New York Times, "I've been living with HIV since 2002, and I'm now undetectable. I'm proud to say I'm healthy, strong, and unapologetically open about my status to help combat the lingering stigma surrounding HIV."

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