Thanks to our fellow gossips at Jezebel for pointing us to this tweet by Jenny McCarthy, in which she pretty much says the exact same thing about Charlie Sheen’s HIV status as she did earlier this week. To recap, Jenny literally said “ick” when she heard that her former small screen love interest, Charlie Sheen, was HIV positive. She was on her Sirius radio show discussing Sheen’s reveal that he was infected with the virus which causes AIDs, which as you know as a person with two brain cells to rub together, cannot be transmitted by kissing. Jenny seems to know this too, on some level which doesn’t translate to practical knowledge, but she still expressed outrage that Sheen’s status wasn’t revealed to her before she kissed him. she said, earlier this week:
“I don’t even know how to feel about that. I’m like, ‘Wait a second. If I have to be upfront a herpe, how could you not be upfront about HIV?
Playing his love interest on the show, even back in the day, I go, ‘Ick! That’s not fair. It’s scary.’ I have sympathy for him because, you know, he’s sick and it’s awful, but man he’s going to have some major accountability with many people in his life.
In response, Charlie’s reps said that he wasn’t infected with HIV until well after he was on Two and a Half Men and long after he worked with Jenny.
Well Jenny clarified and it’s not any better than the things she’s already said:
Expanding on my Charlie Sheen actor/actress disclosure statement….. pic.twitter.com/DGlvLdXHc8
— Jenny McCarthy (@JennyMcCarthy) November 19, 2015
This is still the same fallacious argument we’ve already heard from the woman who claimed she isn’t anti-vaccine but has said that vaccines cause autism and brain damage and that they’re unsafe. She’s saying that if she has to disclose oral herpes that Charlie should have had to disclose his HIV status. However you can catch herpes from a kiss, you can’t catch HIV from a kiss. She’s trying to make it into a gender issue and it’s not. Plus there is a huge stigma associated with HIV, particularly for famous people. (Not that they have it worse, I’m just saying there are different considerations.) This is not the same thing at all but you wouldn’t expect this woman to know that. She has the reasoning skills of a five year-old.
Clearly that was not written by her. Whoever she is paying for PR tried to deflect her idiocy by cloaking it in the current Hollywood debate about the disparity between women and men. Nice try, but it’s pretty transparent.
Exactly, she is hiding behind another issue rather than looking at her own hypocrisy. Let’s put it another way- everyone who does not immunize should have to disclose this at all times so that the rest of us can ensure that we are all adequately protected by herd immunity.
Small pox is airborne and can linger in a space like an elevator for over 2 hours after an infected person has left but this exposure doesn’t worry her at all.
This lady makes me irate with her double standard. Even if there was a vaccine for HIV she would be against using it.
The great US comedian Patton Oswalt came up with the perfect name for Jenny. He refers to her as Measles Magoo.
Maybe she had a brainfart? She isnt the brightest star
What brain?
What a moron.
Somebody (on Twitter maybe?) called her Measles Magoo and I almost peed.
It was US comedian, Patton Oswalt.
She is the most self involved, ignorant, belligerent, nut case. Just a total idiot.
Her stupidity has taken my words. She is a jackass. Sorry…
I would have said “ick” about kissing Charlie Sheen LONG before this debate…
Exactly! Despite everything that was known about Sheen’s use of drugs and prostitutes over a very long period of time, appearing in a hit TV show meant she was happy to be paid to kiss Charlie Sheen on screen. If she regrets her decision now, so be it. She should be more discerning.
Suzanne’s comment made me laugh out loud, and I agree!
She’s an idiot. But I do understand the undercurrent of her malaise. I would want to know of any communicable diseases infecting anyone I was intimately physically contacting. In a perfect world, of course.
And I’m not sorry for Sheen in the least. Sorry for not being sorry. I don’t wish it on anyone, but that ideal doesn’t require me to have empathy.
But here’s the thing: “communicable disease” is not really an accurate term. HIV can be transmitted between people, but that does not mean all contact can transmit it. Intimate contact generally means the swapping of bodily fluids, from a disease perspective. That includes almost all forms of genital contact. Kissing is generally not included.
HIV is theoretically transmittable through kissing, but only if very specific things happen: The positive person must be actively bleeding from their mouth – canker sores, bleeding gums, etc. Like, right then. Not like, “I brushed my teeth an hour ago and my gums bled.” The negative person must also have abrasions or open wounds in their mouth for the virus to enter through. And before you ask, saliva is not a sufficient carrier. It is believed to be too acidic for the virus to survive. Even if the virus could survive, you’d have to spit directly into an open wound to even have a shot at transmittal.
So no, anything short of a deep, open mouth kiss with active bleeding stands a shot at transmitting HIV. I don’t know about what actors do, but unless Jenny and Charlie did this, she has no reason to fear. And I don’t think he had a duty to tell her unless he posed an actual risk of transmission.
“I don’t think he had a duty to tell her unless he posed an actual risk of transmission.” Except he did pose a risk, however small. This isnt complicated, you inform your co-star and explain to her why the risk is minimal. You then leave it to her to make the final decision. Its just so douchey to make this decision for another person. Also, it needs to be said that stigma is combatted when people disclose their diagnosis and provide a human face to the condition. Its not a dirty shameful secret, so dont hide it anymore than you would your asthma. And dont rob others their right to chose what risks they will take.
Edit: This is of course a hypothetical discussion seeing as Charlie wasnt infected during her story arc.
I agree, Naya, with your comments about the stigma is fought when people “provide a human face” with the condition, totally spot on. And truly, others have a right to know when there is the possibility of transmission, even if the risk is small.
(As a side note, I was reading a story on Boston.com about the living with HIV, and one subject was an inmate in a state prison previously and didn’t reveal her condition to them – I think that’s so wrong. Blood does get spilled in prison, and staff should be aware of communicable diseases inmates have.
Naya: Except unless he was actively bleeding from the mouth and deep, open mouth kissing her, there was zero risk of transmission. HIV does not travel via saliva – full stop. Firstly, the acid level in saliva is thought to kill the virus. Secondly, HIV must traverse the mucus membranes to actually cause infection. I’m fairly sure that whatever scenes they had, they did not call for Charlie to actually ram his mouth onto hers to exchange blood samples. That’s it. If HIV could be transmitted through causal kissing, we’d have a lot more infections, trust me.
I’m all for disclosing one’s status, but in this case, the odds that he posed any risk to her were zero. If his oral hygiene was so bad that he was bleeding from the gums routinely, I’m pretty sure such a thing would have been noticed. And if that was the case, Jenny had bigger worries than HIV. In addition, not only would he had needed open mouth sores, but she would as well (even if he bled into her mouth and she swallowed it, HIV cannot survive the digestive tract.
I’m not sure how much clearer it can be. A simulated love scene poses zero risk of transmission. That’s the truth. There’s nothing to be meaningfully “informed” about because there is no risk to select.
I don’t think Sam’s information is very accurate. If someone is bleeding and there are cuts or open wounds that is definitely a risk.
I don’t blame her for being pissed by his lack of disclosure though. She could have had an open mouth sore and he could have too. It’s a very small chance, but still. I’m not going to blast her for that. True though– why wasn’t she skeeved about him generally before… The guy is just plain unsavory.
HIV can be trasmitted by kissing: A woman kissed a man who had extremely poor oral health, which included bleeding gums. The pathogen in the saliva in his mouth was transmitted to her and she was infected.
In people with extremely poor oral health, it is a potential risk. But that case was an extremely rare one. It is like HIV transmitted during lesbian sex, it has been documented as happening, but is rare.
Do you have a source/link for this ?
It’s true but extremely rare and not the kind of casual kissing on set.
From the CDC
Deep, open-mouth kissing if the person with HIV has sores or bleeding gums and blood is exchanged. HIV is not spread through saliva. Transmission through kissing alone is extremely rare.
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/transmission.html
And Charlie Sheen has notoriously bad oral health. Remember the meth mouth pic he took with that baseball team a few years ago?
I don’t like Jenny McCarthy, but I don’t think he concerns here are completely unfounded.
+1 I agree in this case related to Charlie Sheen. He is not a model patient.
Both my two year old granddaughter and my dog have more well considered opinions than Jenny McCarthy. She has an absolute gift for winding up on the wrong side of medical issues.
But like someone pointed out yesterday, what if both individuals had some sort of sores or cuts in their mouth, this can lead to blood transmission which can result in HIV, No? Please correct me if I am wrong.
I have the same questions too. What if someone has a cold sore and covers it with make. Then you kiss someone who has the virus. If the siliva leaks onto the cold sore, could that person be at risk?
I really hate to sound like someone who would be aafraid to touch some one with the virus because I’m not.
PS-Im not big on kisses or hand shakes because colds or flu can pass that way.
Funcakes: In a nutshell, HIV can’t be transmitted via handshakes or colds. It’s not like a cold virus. The virus is not spread through saliva, so as long as you have unbroken skin, you are safe to shake hands, hug and kiss a person with HIV.
Here is a summary of ways you can’t catch HIV.
http://www.tht.org.uk/sexual-health/About-HIV/How-HIV-is-transmitted/Ways-HIV-is-not-transmitted
on the flipside, here is some information about ways it can be transmitted.
http://www.tht.org.uk/sexual-health/About-HIV/How-HIV-is-transmitted
@funcakes HIV is not transmitted through saliva but blood. Its very rare to transmit through very deep kisses.
I have had cold sores since I was a child. None of my husbands or lovers ever got one, nor did my children. I was careful not to kiss anyone during an outbreak, however. If you take Valtrex at the first sign, which is tingling and burning, you can stop it from progressing further. btw, sun exposure can activate it for me.
this is correct.
However, IF we believe Charlie’s statement that he was diagnosed 4yrs ago ie 2011, then she’s talking rubbish as far as personal contact with him on the show. Her character stops interacting with his character in the 2010 season – season 8, episode 12 to be exact. The next time she appears on the show is 2011 season – season 9, episode 1 with Ashton Kutcher.
Now, if Charlie was lying, and he knew much earlier, then she has legitimate beef since her recurring character first appeared in 2007.
Thank you for clarifying when she appeared on the show. Charlie got into a pattern of hiring controversial D-list women as his love interests, and I was trying to place where Jenny fit into that cycle.
What part of “He didn’t know he was HIV+ yet” is Jenny having so much trouble with? (I still think Charlie is pond scum; I just think Jenny’s complaint is clueless and attention-seeking, as usual with her.)
not seeing whats so horrible about what she said – sorry.
Me either and I do not like her one bit.
There is nothing wrong with it – its just the Hypocritical people on this gossip site that think its completely ok to use mentally ill slurs ‘cray’ and lose their minds over wonky dirty teeth but will back pedal over a cliff as long as their SJW credentials are intact.
We ALL know he had HIV far longer than he is claiming – the man is a walking talking petri dish of germs diseases and hostility – but lets blame the ‘harpy’ woman because she is abit dense about Vaccines…
I totally agree. Remember…. They weren’t a couple, they were co workers. Drinking after someone I love with hiv is totally different than licking a spoon of the coworker three cubicles down with it. Even if the chance is crazy small, he should have to disclose it in a professional environment where people are required to behave in an intimate manner with him. She and anyone who is contractually obligated to behave with him in this manner should be told. This isn’t just about her, what about all the other women too. Remember him walking around with open wounds on his legs? And now there may have been 200 women in the last year or so he was intimate with? No way was he careful or considerate of all of them. He is not a good person. Ick is the right word.
I’m with you. If I was in her position, I would have wanted to know.
CB, please don’t i sult 5-year-old kids! 😀
To say that it IS possible for HIV to be transmitted through kissing, while extremely rare and requiring blood transfer, is not incorrect, nor is it advocating going back to the 80s/90s hysteria-think that had people believing you could get it from a handshake, toilet seat, etc. To say that it’s absolutely impossible to contract HIV through kissing is incorrect. That said, Jenny’s comparison between herpes and HIV is stupid as contracting the former is easier than contracting the latter. She also blows up her own attempt at arguing a double standard by pointing out herself that both actors and actresses are required to disclose certain health matters. If she’s trying to say that women are asked for different health disclosures than men, then she’s failed.
It is quite difficult to transmit a disease one does not yet have and one should not be required to disclose to co-workers that one might contract some disease at some point in the future. Time travel doesn’t exist yet.
Who gave this moron a radio show and why?
Excellent.
She’s a moron. But here’s my question: do we actually think Charlie Sheen knows exactly when he contracted HIV? He was diagnosed in 2011, but he could have been carrying it for a while. I guess I’m also just skeptical of anything that man says – the only reason why he came clean is because he got found out.
This message brought you by Dr. Jenny McCarthy, graduate Playboy University Faculty of Medicine.
Jenny, sit down and close it. FFS.
LOL at her trying to turn this into a gender issue. Nice try, Jenny.
I would assume when an actor is asked to disclosed everything medical, it’s for insurance purposes, and not to their costars – unless it’s something that can be transmitted through contact required for the job.
And I still can’t get over HER of all people suddenly being concerned about transmittable diseases, after rallying against life saving vaccines for years.
I cannot stand McCarthy at all, but I have to agree with her on this one. There is a double standard and I would be upset too.
On a side note; I think Sheen has infected some people and is just trying to cover his ass with all these statements about not knowing etc. I still think he contracted HIV before 2011 OR maybe found out he had it in 2011. Even then I am not buying it. It seems ” to perfect” . Sheen diagnosed in 2011 and telling all of his lovers. Not believing it for a second.
HIs open letter was vomiting the way he described the “unsavory insipids”. People that are working for sex because of men like him. Sheen is and will always be an entitled POS.
sex workers should not be given a pass and neither should sheen. I think prostitutes/sex workers do spread the disease and alot of them don’t tell their partners or clients they have the disease either.
I’m not giving them a pass. I am stating that Sheen has some nerve calling the sex workers unsavory while he pays them for sex. Without men like Sheen there would be no “unsavory” people. He is simply taking advantage of these people too.
The horribly vicious abusive drug addict who is in precisely the place one would would expect from his most obvious public activities versus the dimwitted blonde from Singled Out. Why do either of these people have the podium?
So, since she brought it up, I am now wondering whether Jenny has herpes.
I was a nurse at one of the “celebrity hospitals” in Los Angeles.. and I can say with personal profesional experience that they ALL have Herpes folks..
Celebrity backtracking at it’s finest.
Donnie…WHY did you choose HER???? Why?????
A month’s salary say it all about sex. He was making out with her at a Chicago concert last year…right in front of everyone. I cannot see either of them having a philosophical conversations with any meaning to them.
I wish someone would muzzle Jenny McCarthy. Just permanently.
I like her cousin.
Thats it.
Another thinly veiled attempt at relevance by Jenny McCarthy.