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Charlie Sheen opens up about sexual encounters with men and being HIV positive

PEOPLE
Charlie Sheen

Charlie Sheen got with People about his past sexual encounters with men, saying it feels “liberating” to not hold anything back.

The former “Two and a Half Men” star, 60, spoke of laying his cards on the table in his upcoming memoir “The Book of Sheen” and a Netflix documentary “aka Charlie Sheen.”

The Emmy winner, who’s now eight years sober after decades of drug and alcohol abuse, said those sexual experiences were “born or sparked” when he was using crack.

“That’s what started it,” he said. “And in whatever chunks of time that I was off the pipe, [I was] trying to navigate that, trying to come to terms with it — Why did that happen?”

Ultimately, Sheen accepted the encounters for what they were. He said, “So what?’ … Some of it was weird. A lot of it was fun, and life goes on.”

In a “Good Morning America” interview that aired Friday, Sheen acknowledged he was “probably” a sex addict when he was at the height of his substance abuse.

“It did come with a tremendous amount of extortion,” Sheen said, adding he’d “pay [people] to keep it quiet and … make it go away.”

Trying to hide his behavior made him feel like a “hostage,” he said, particularly when people “had stuff over [him],” including photos and videos they’d threaten to release if he didn’t pay up.

Sheen also contracted HIV during his drug-fueled exploits — another aspect of his life he tried to keep private. He said it was “a tremendous relief” to reveal on the “Today” show in 2015 that he had the virus.

“It’s liberating … [to] talk about stuff,” he says in the documentary. He said he’s no longer running from his past, but instead owning it.

“The Book of Sheen” is releasing Tuesday. His Netflix documentary debuts Wednesday.

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Morrissey

Morrissey seeking to sell his rights to the Smiths’ catalog

Morrissey is seeking to cut all ties to his previous band, the Smiths.

Although the English singer-songwriter is known as a solo success, he went public with plans to sell his financial stake in the influential rock band, saying he’s “burnt out by any and all connections” to his former band mates.

Morrissey announced his decision on his website, revealing he has “no choice” but to sell his interests in the Smiths — including rights to the music, lyrics and recordings of the hitmakers — to anyone who would buy them. He even wants to put the Smiths’ name, associated artwork and merchandise on the market.

“I have had enough of malicious associations,” he said last week. “With my entire life I have paid my rightful dues to these songs and images. I would now like to live disassociated from those who wish me nothing but ill will and destruction, and this is the only resolution.”

“The songs are me — they are no one else,” he added. “But they bring with them business communications that go to excessive lengths to create as much dread and spite year after year. I must now protect myself, my health.”

The Smiths, whose co-founders include guitarist Johnny Marr, drummer Mike Joyce and late bassist Andy Rourke, became a breakout from the 1980s British indie music scene with the U.K. chart-toppers “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now,” “This Charming Man” and “How Soon Is Now?”

After achieving gold and platinum sales, the rock band went through a bitter breakup in 1987.

Morrissey reportedly shares 50% of the rights to the Smiths with Marr, though the former band members have gone their separate ways.

Morrissey in January asserted that Marr had obtained trademark rights to the Smiths’ name without consulting him. Months later, Marr said he turned down an “eye-watering amount of money” for a Smiths reunion.

Joyce announced last month his plans to publish a “no-holds-barred” memoir, “The Drums,” this November.

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Howard Stern

Howard Stern returns to SiriusXM radio show after tricking listeners

NEW YORK — Howard Stern, the popular and highly paid radio host, returned to SiriusXM's airwaves Monday after tricking listeners into thinking he had departed his long-running show.

Stern, 71, who evolved from his shock jock origins to become a respected interviewer, enlisted a seemingly flustered Andy Cohen at the top of “The Howard Stern Show” to pretend to be his successor. “This was supposed to be a cleaner hand off. I’m kind of winging it,” said Cohen.

The stunt was the culmination of weeks of promos that promised a big reveal, following speculation Stern's show would be canceled. “The tabloids have spoken: Howard Stern fired, canceled,” one promo video said. “Is it really bye-bye Booey?” The speculation grew after Stern postponed his return from a summer break last week.

While he did return Monday, he did not announce he’d reached a new contract with SiriusXM. His current deal expires at the end of 2025.

“SiriusXM and my team have been talking about how we go forward. They’ve sat down with me like they normally do, and they’re fantastic,” Stern said.

Stern joining what was then Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. in 2006 made him one of the highest-paid personalities in broadcasting and was a game-changer for both the company and the nascent satellite radio industry.

But SiriusXM’s subscriber base has been slowly contracting, with the company reporting 33 million paid subscribers in the second quarter of 2025, 100,000 fewer than the same period in 2024.

Stern extended his contract with SiriusXM twice before, in 2010 and again in 2020 with a five-year, $500 million deal, Forbes reported.

“He’s been with the company two decades, and so he’s pretty happy, but he’s also able, like many great artists, to stop whenever he wants,” SiriusXM president and COO officer Scott Greenstein said last year.

From combined wire services

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