Sunday, September 27, 2015

'As the World Turns' Alum Danny Pintauro Reveals He Has Been HIV-Positive For 12 Years

Danny Pintauro and Oprah Winfrey
On Saturday night's episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now?, former child star Danny Pintauro revealed that he has been living with a big secret for more than a decade: He is HIV-positive.

After playing the first memorable Paul Ryan Stenbeck on As the World Turns, Pintauro starred for eight years on Who's the Boss? as as Jonathan Bower, the son of Judith Light's Angela.

Pintauro began the interview by sharing his long-held secret.

"I wanted to tell you this a long time ago, but I wasn't ready. I'm ready now," Pintauro said. "I'm HIV-positive, and I have been for 12 years."

Pintauro hadn't spoken publicly about his health before because he wasn't sure if people were ready for a conversation of this magnitude.

"It's just a big deal, you know? It's not something that people are really talking about right now," Pintauro said.

This isn't the first time Pintauro has revealed a private detail about his personal life. In 1997, when he was a college student, Pintauro came out as gay -- but he hadn't exactly planned to. "I was outed," Pintauro said. "It wasn't by choice."

The actor said that a tabloid reporter called him back then saying the paper was going to out him whether he cooperated or not. Judith Light encouraged Pintauro to participate as a way of controlling the conversation.

"It was the best thing," Pintauro said. "'They can't misquote you,' she said. 'And as long as you give really responsible and mature answers, it can't be a bad article.' Believe it or not, the National Enquirer actually did a really fantastic, heartwarming article about it. I was shocked."

Pintauro said he regularly underwent routine HIV testing every six months. Then, in March of 2003, his whole world changed.

"I was living in New York at the time and completely clueless to the idea that I was positive. I went in for a regular checkup," Pintauro explained. "It was just regular blood work. You go in, and you sort of waited two weeks on pins and needles -- or at least I did, because I was just terrified of the idea of getting HIV."

Having come out of a two-year relationship, Pintauro admitted later in the interview that he had been looking to explore more sexually and began using crystal meth as a means to that end.

"I was doing crystal meth, which completely ruins your immune system. I'd been doing it at that point very briefly, but it was three weeks or so, off and on," he said. "I had just come out of a two-year relationship, and I discovered in that relationship that there was more I wanted to explore sexually. Crystal meth takes away your inhibitions... And if you want to explore that adventurous side, taking the drug is going to put you there. I was experimenting," he continues. "And believe it or not, I thought that I was being safe in that encounter. I know exactly when it happened."

Pintauro said that he didn't remember the man's name. "I regret not knowing that, because that person has completely changed my life," he said.

Even though antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) had been introduced by the time Pintatuo was diagnosed, dramatically increasing the lifespan of those with HIV and reducing their risk of transmitting the infection to others, Pintauro was still devastated by his diagnosis. He struggled to make sense of his feelings.

"It was terrifying, and there was a sense of relief," he said. "It's backwards. You've spent so much time terrified that you're going to get it, and then you have it. You don't have to be terrified anymore."

Today, Pintauro lives with his husband, Wil Tabares, in Las Vegas, and works as a restaurant manager. He told Oprah that his dreams in life are to open a bed and breakfast with Tabares, live a long life and be a beacon of light that can help make a difference to others along the journey. Pintauro also shared an important message for other men in the gay community.

"What I want my community to realize is we need to take better care of ourselves.

RELATED:
- As the World Turns Star Joseph Breen: An AIDS Nursing Home Finds It Is No Longer the Last Stop

3 comments:

  1. I'm happy Danny seems healthy and happy now.

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  3. God Bless You, Danny. We All Love You Very Much!

    Brian :-)

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