Books and Authors
Charlie Sheen Opens Up About Sexual Encounters with Men in New Memoir and Netflix Documentary
Charlie Sheen is no longer holding back. The actor, once synonymous with Hollywood excess and tabloid scandals, is opening up like never before in two new projects: his memoir The Book of Sheen (Sept. 9) and a companion Netflix documentary aka Charlie Sheen (Sept. 10). Together, they provide the most candid look yet at the actor’s turbulent past, including his drug use, HIV diagnosis, and, for the first time, his sexual experiences with men.
In both the memoir and documentary, Charlie Sheen reveals that his same-sex encounters began during his years of crack cocaine use. “That’s what started it,” he admits. “That’s where it was born, or sparked. And in whatever chunks of time that I was off the pipe, trying to navigate that… I finally got to a place where I said, ‘So what? So what? Some of it was weird. A lot of it was fun. And life goes on.’”
Speaking to PEOPLE, Charlie Sheen describes finally telling his story as “liberating.” In the Netflix film, he jokes about the relief of honesty: “It’s like a train didn’t come through the side of the restaurant. A f—ing piano didn’t fall out of the sky. No one ran into the room and shot me.”
Charlie Sheen also addresses the darkest chapter of his past: his HIV diagnosis. While he kept it private for years, fearing exposure by overnight guests who discovered his medication, he eventually went public in 2015 on the Today show. “I do know for a fact that I never passed it on,” he says firmly.
Charlie Sheen with Jon Cryer in Chuck Lorre’s Two and a Half Men
Despite his infamous “tiger blood” era and a chaotic 20-city speaking tour he now regrets, Charlie Sheen insists he is not playing the victim. “I’m not a victim. It takes two to tango,” he reflects. “That tour didn’t have to happen. Somebody should have tapped out for me and said, ‘This is a bad idea.’”
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These days, Charlie Sheen leads a far quieter life. He’s focused on parenting his four children — daughters Sami and Lola with Denise Richards, and twin sons Bob and Max with Brooke Mueller. His home life, he says, left little room for romance: “My romantic life is as uneventful as it possibly could be… But I am open to love again. Probably not marriage, though.”
With The Book of Sheen, also known as Charlie Sheen, the actor appears to be reclaiming his narrative. Instead of running from scandal, Sheen is choosing to own it, flaws and all. For a star whose wild past once defined him, his new openness may be his most surprising reinvention yet.
