‘Who’s the Boss’ Star Danny Pintauro Reveals How He Contracted HIV (Video)

“Believe it or not, with this guy I was actually safe. We did use condoms,” actor and activist says in new interview

US Weekly

Just a week after revealing this HIV positive status to Oprah, “Who’s the Boss?” star Danny Pintauro has now opened for the first time on how he contracted the virus.

“Believe it or not, with this guy I was actually safe. We did use condoms,” Pintauro told UsWeekly. “I got it another way, which was through oral sex. When you put all of these nasty things together, like a compromised immune system, having been up for a long time, drugs, rough sex, all of that combined with lesions in your mouth, bodily fluids, it’s that easy.”

Pintauro, who played the lovable Jonathan Bower on the popular ABC sitcom from 1984 to 1992, told Oprah that he been experimenting with crystal meth at the time of his diagnosis.

Pintauro also said that he recently discovered a letter he wrote to himself immediately after his diagnosis that contained the name of the man he slept with when he contracted HIV, though he did not reveal his identity.

“I searched the obituaries because I had a fear that I’d find him there, and I can’t find him,” Pintauro said. “Mostly I just want to find out if he’s OK. The lifestyle he was leading was really irresponsible and I just want to see if he survived.”

Although he’s gotten support from costars Judith Light and Tony Danza, Pintauro said he regrets not having told Alyssa Milano — who played Sam on the hit comedy — about his diagnosis.

“I wasn’t in contact with Alyssa. And I regret that now. I really should have let her now beforehand because she got just as shocked as everybody else.”

Last week, an emotional Milano praised Pintauro for coming forward.

“I hate that it took him so long to feel comfortable, but I’m so glad that he is able to express himself now,” Milano told CBS’s “The Talk” during her guest-hosting stint on Tuesday.

Since talking to Oprah, Pintauro has been planning his “Beacon of Light Tour” to raise awareness about HIV and the dangers of crystal meth use.

Watch Pintauro’s interview with US Weekly here.



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