"I'm here to admit that I am in fact HIV-positive."

Charlie Sheen has broken his silence about his HIV status, sitting down Tuesday morning with The Today Show's Matt Lauer. The 50-year-old actor explained that he was on the show to put an end to rumors and hopefully "kick open the door" of HIV stigma.

“I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks and sub-truths and very harmful and mercurial stories that are about me, threatening the health of so many others, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said.

Watch Sheen explain his situation in depth, including when he was diagnosed, how he came clean to only a few people at first, and what he hopes to accomplish by appearing on the show.