INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Burt Reynolds Thinks Charlie Sheen Deserves HIV

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 03:10 PST, Dec 8, 2015

In a comment from out of the blue, actor Burt Reynolds has gone public with the statement that Charlie Sheen deserves his HIV diagnosis. His opinion and statements on a U.K. talk show have shocked fans. Reynolds claims that Sheen’s “misbehaving” put him at risk of such a diagnosis, but back in the day, Reynolds was known for misbehaving, and was the subject of false HIV rumors himself.

According to the Inquisitr, Charlie Sheen currently has more to worry about than the opinion of Burt Reynolds. Sheen’s former fiancée, porn star Brett Rossi, is claiming that Sheen forced her to have an abortion, terrorized her, and exposed her to HIV. Rossi insists that she has PTSD after finally getting away from Sheen and his violence. Rossi has filed suit against Sheen, but currently, Sheen is preparing a defense, part of which insists that Rossi was never pregnant.

The Daily Mail reported that Burt Reynolds was a guest on the chat show Loose Women, where he was asked about Charlie Sheen and his diagnosis. Host Ruth Langsford asked Reynolds if he felt sorry for Sheen.

“For Charlie, no, he deserves it. He misbehaved very badly,” Reynolds said. He added: “His father is a very, very decent man and a dear friend of mine. I feel bad for him, But Charlie, I don’t feel bad for him.”

The live audience was shocked into stunned silence after Reynolds shared his thoughts on Sheen.

“HIV is something that no one deserves. The insensitivity of the man was unbelievable, and several people in the audience were sure his remarks would be edited out.”

Reynolds was on the show as part of a tour to promote his new autobiography, But Enough About Me. The actor, 79, says that he has been friends with Sheen’s father, Martin Sheen, for years.

Perez Hilton was quoted as calling Reynolds’ comments distasteful. His reaction to Sheen’s diagnosis seemed callous to the reporter.

“Burt Reynolds may be a Hollywood icon, but that doesn’t mean he’s automatically sensitive towards his fellow stars’ troubles.”

The Mirror reported that Reynolds was asked about Charlie Sheen and HIV because back in the 80s, Reynolds was at the center of an HIV rumor.

“Reynolds previously admitted the most scarring experience of his life was being wrongly branded an HIV sufferer during the 1980s. Given the false rumours, host Ruth Langsford asked if he felt sorry for Sheen who revealed he was suffering from the disease during a tell-all TV interview last month.”

After the audience gasped, Reynolds seemed to backtrack, and provide a weak excuse for the behaviors he had just mentioned.

“But you know when you’re that age, it’s tough. All those things are coming at you and it’s difficult.”

But it’s hard to recover from a statement that someone “deserves” an HIV diagnosis. Reynolds was the center of HIV rumors after he had broken his jaw, making it impossible to eat. He lost a great deal of weight, and looked ill.

“When the rumours hit, I couldn’t even go out in public to deny them because I looked exactly like people were saying, a bag of bones. Nobody would hire me.”

At that time, Reynolds said it was impossible for him to deny the rumors.

“Hollywood turned its collective back on me and left me ­bitter. I couldn’t get jobs and my life was hell.”

Burt Reynolds is continuing on his book tour, and the Charlie Sheen question will likely come up again.

Do you think it was fair for Burt Reynolds to say that Charlie Sheen deserves HIV?

[Photo by Barry Brecheisen/AP]

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