Denise Richards Was "Upset" Charlie Sheen Didn't Warn Her About Public HIV Confession

On Nov. 17, 2015, Charlie Sheen publicly revealed that he was HIV-positive, having been diagnosed roughly four years earlier. The actor made the revelation during an appearance on The Today Show, describing the acronym "HIV" as "three hard letters to absorb."

Charlie explained that he had confided in several people within his inner circle about his condition, but his ex-wife, Denise Richards, was not one of them.

Denise eventually expressed her frustration and hurt over not being informed in advance about Charlie's decision to go public with such news. But why was that? Here's everything you need to know, including if she has HIV.

At the time of writing, there's no evidence to suggest that Denise Richards has HIV. It's also important to remember that just because her ex-husband, Charlie Sheen, has HIV, it doesn't mean that she — or any of his other partners — would have contracted the virus.

Denise and Charlie were married from 2002 to 2006, and during their marriage, it was not publicly known that the Two and a Half Men star was HIV-positive.

When he publicly revealed his diagnosis in 2015, he shared that he had been living with the virus for several years. Charlie also emphasized that he had taken precautions to protect others, including informing his romantic partners about his condition and using protection.

Now, although there is no indication that Denise has HIV, she did have to explain Charlie's diagnosis to their daughters after his unexpected public announcement.

In a March 31, 2025, interview on the Whine Down podcast with host Jana Kramer, Denise recalled the shocking moment, saying, "It was everywhere. I think I picked them up early from school that day because I didn't want kids at school to tell them."

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star also admitted she was "kind of upset with Charlie" because he "didn't warn" her beforehand. She confessed, "I wish he gave me a heads up, like, 'Hey, I'm doing it today.'"

Denise shared how challenging it was to describe to their then-young daughters what their father's medical diagnosis meant, calling it "hard to explain." Luckily, it was the first and only time she had to share such serious news with their girls

Since then, the Starship Troopers actress has made an effort to shield their daughters from the public drama surrounding Charlie's personal life: "There's been a few things that I've had to have conversations with [them], but for the most part, I really tried to shelter them from a lot of stuff," she said.

During his appearance on The Today Show in 2015, Charlie Sheen disclosed that he wasn't "entirely sure" how he contracted HIV.

Nearly a decade has passed since that announcement, and if Charlie has since figured out how he got it, it's likely that he'll never share that information, as it remains an extremely personal and private matter.

However, in the April 22, 2016, issue of The Hollywood Reporter, Dylan Howard provided a firsthand account of how he uncovered Charlie Sheen's HIV-positive status. According to Howard, an informant — along with multiple other sources — told him that Charlie Sheen had allegedly contracted HIV from a transgender partner in 2011.