Women he's slept with say they'll sue Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen says he paid people to keep quiet about his HIV status, but now that hes talked, hes likely to face lawsuits.
It is said that no good deed goes unpunished. You'll probably get no argument from Charlie Sheen.
Hours after Sheen confessed to Matt Lauer on "Today" that he was diagnosed as HIV-positive four years ago, and suggested that going forward he hopes to be an advocate for those similarly afflicted, a sixpack of former bedmates announced their intention to sue the actor/Olympic-grade party boy.
TMZ reports that a "prominent Los Angeles lawyer" was contacted by the half-dozen women, and that said legal eagle was expecting to meet with four more former Sheen playmates yesterday.
According to TMZ, the initial six, and likely others, plan to sue Sheen for "infliction of emotional distress, fraud [and] sexual battery."
The women claim they had both protected and unprotected sex with Sheen - as recently as last month - and that he never offered so much as an "Oh, by the way . . . "
A TMZ source put the number of sex partners Sheen has had in the past two years at 200, which is leading to speculation that the former "Two and a Half Men" star is looking at years of legal hell.
Still, Sheen is hoping to turn lemons into lemonade. He told Lauer he hopes that his confession will help remove the stigma of HIV.
"I have a responsibility now to better myself and to help a lot of other people," he said.
"And, hopefully, with what we're doing today, others will come forward and say, 'Thanks Charlie.' "
In addition to admitting that he is HIV-positive, Sheen announced on "Today" that he has paid "millions" in hush money to unnamed blackmailers.
Sheen explained that a hooker took a picture of the antiviral medications in his bathroom and threatened to sell the photo.
"We're talking about shakedowns," he told Lauer, alluding to multiple perpetrators. "For some reason, I trusted them. They were deep in my inner circle, and I thought they could be helpful. My trust turned to their treason."
When Lauer asked whether he was still paying hush money, Sheen replied, "Not after today, I'm not."
Sheen 'goddess' speaks
Not every one of the notches on Sheen's bedpost is lawyering up. Natalie Kenly, who enjoyed about seven minutes of fame as one of the actor's former live-in "goddesses," told TMZ that she had sex with Sheen, who never disclosed his diagnosis, but she doesn't plan to sue him.
Kenly, who said she's HIV-negative, described Sheen as not trying to hurt anyone on purpose and insisted that he loved all the girls he was with.
Charlie Sheen, love bug? Sounds about right.
TATTBITS
* Actress-chanteuse Rita Wilson (a/k/a Mrs. Tom Hanks) has announced a 2016 concert tour.
Wilson, 59, who earlier this year had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery following a diagnosis of breast cancer, will launch her tour (which will promote her forthcoming, self-titled CD) with a Feb. 23-March 5 run at Gotham's famed Cafe Carlyle.
More dates in several states, including New Jersey, will follow.
* Bebe Neuwirth (a longtime TempTatt crush) is joining the Manhattan School of Music's Musical Theatre Program, a new bachelor's degree offering that will launch next fall.
Neuwirth, a two-time Tony and three-time Emmy winner (twice for her work as the ultra-uptight Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane on both "Cheers" and "Frazier") will work as an adviser to the school and to the program's associate dean and chairman, Luis Perez.
* Netflix has released the trailer for "A Very Murray Christmas," a Yuletide-themed special starring Bill Murray and a sleigh-full of celebs, including Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Jason Schwartzman, George Clooney and Miley Cyrus.
Billed as a tribute to old-school variety shows of the 1960s and '70s, the program debuts Dec. 4 on the streaming video service.
- Daily News wire services contributed to this report.
On Twitter: @chuckdarrow
Howard Gensler has the day off.