IamA Former Child Star and HIV Activist Danny Pintauro AMA!

hi danny, i'm also hiv+

did your infection ever progress to AIDS? how's your health now? what is your medicine regimen?

thanks for doing this, both the AMA and simply disclosing

Never to AIDS, I got on medication VERY early so it hasn't had a chance to get there. Health now is TERRIFIC. One pill a day with a meal, thats the hard part, has to be with a meal. So easy to forget! Thanks for being here!

Who's the boss?

In my life? My husband Wil! On WTB? It was always Tony for SURE!

My question is this: with so many websites & apps promoting quick social networking of like-minded people looking to have unsafe sex, how do we break through this trend and get people back to the point where prevention is the mainstream approach? Is it even possible? Or, at this point, should we be resigned to the fact that everyone's going to get it and focus our efforts on people knowing their status and folks that are positive are getting the treatment they need? Is a multi-pronged approach to this possible?

THIS IS MY GOAL. Make unsafe sex and meth UNSEXY. people are creatures of social stigma, trends, fads etc... if we can make having unsafe sexy UNCOOL and UGLY, as well as meth - which is harder because it intertwined with sex. I think we can get somewhere. NO! Everyone is NOT going to get it, NOT on my watch.

For instance: when people answer the status question on dating or hookup sites there should be the following choices: 1) Negative - which is great but how SURE are you the person is being honest, actually knows, or that the last test was 8 months ago and they are still saying Negative. 2) Positive - ew gross, that means that you know and you're not doing anything about it. 3) on PReP - this one is better, it means you're being proactive. 4) Undetectable - GREAT. This means you know, you're doing everything you can to take care of yourself and your partner. 5) Don't Know - EW EW EW. How can you NOT know your status???

unsafe == unsexy

BEST THING EVER!!

They will understand by the time I'm done. Stay tuned. But yeah, you know how people are, if we tell them something is really uncoool or unpopular or unsexy, then they might stop doing it? I mean, nevermind the life changing stuff that happens when you get HIV, its not sexy. :)

What did Alyssa Milano smell like? Asking for a friend...

Bubble gum and unicorns!

Do you plan to come to France one day? or int the future?

ABSOLUTELY love France. Been twice, one of my favorite parts of France is Mont St. Michelle!

No more Acting for you?

Nope. Not unless someone asks me to. BUt I'm done with the business of being an actor. Our long term goal is to open a bed and breakfast.

So what's the secret in your homemade tomato sauce?

Mine is SO boring. Tomatoe sauce, garlic, italian spices... salt pepper. boring! But I've started adding green chili! Go New Mexico!

I'm sorry but tex mex and any Mexican food east of Arizona is fucking disgusting

I'm NOT saying the food is terrific, I'm just saying I LOVE green chili, thanks to my husband!

How long have you been clean and sober and how did you do it?

Along with meth, were there any other drugs used regularly?

Clean and sober completely for one year. Just from drugs, I still love wine. BUT - the time I did meth before that was 2 years, the time before that was 2 more years. I've been CLEAN from doing meth regularly since 2006ish. No rehab, the comedown for me is SO awful - 5 days sometimes... I hate the comedown, that was enough to make me stop. When you're on meth you'll use anything else... poppers, G, K, ... none of that since 2006 though.

What are your thoughts on Turing Pharma's defense on raising the price of Daraprim? Edit: And/or do you have any thoughts on the drug industry, in general, as it relates to HIV-related or any other disease specific medication and the reasoning used by the manufacturers to charge the prices in the U.S. compared to other countries?

I mean, EW. This is what we deal with when it comes to big pharmaceuticals. One bottle of HIV medication costs upwards of 3000 PER MONTH. Its disgusting. Reasoning? Greed. Its like, they have the best of intentions, the scientists are CURING people, making them live longer, giving them options... then the guy who markets the science gets involved.

Have any of your former Who's The Boss cast mates reached out to you to offer well wishes or support? Do you feel like your early fame led you into the drugs,etc?

All of them have! In wonderful ways, I just received emails from Tony and Judith again this morning! Alyssa and I have been texting since Tuesday! No, early fame did not... sex led me to the drugs.

How have you been doing lately?

I'm overwhelmed. There's sooo much to do!!! But I'm good.

This is Reddit and no one is asking you about CUJO? I must take the reins...

Any interesting CUJO memories?

Love love love Cujo! I loved all the ways the filmed! 7 dogs! A dog in a dog suit, a man in a dog suit, Pintos that they cut in half and a huge soundstage length bedroom for me to run through!

Love love love Cujo! I loved all the ways the filmed! 7 dogs! A dog in a dog suit, a man in a dog suit, Pintos that they cut in half and a huge soundstage length bedroom for me to run through!

What are the most promising HIV/AIDS treatments?

The preventative one - PReP. The rest are all becoming fine tuned to eliminate the side affects. The up and coming ones focus on treating people who are resistant to other drugs.

To what extent does your life parallel Bojack Horseman?

If I knew who that was I might answer. Someone on Periscope said its a cartoon character. Haven't watched cartoons in years. Husband loves Family Guy.

Ha, well it's on Netflix and is pretty good. As a former child star you'd probably get a kick out of it.

Soooo... If you could binge the first two seasons in the next ten hours or so and get back to me, that'd be great..

LOLOL

On Periscope for the next 10 minutes while I answer questions, come see my office!

For those who don't know you, and even for those who do, what is the one message you want to share with the world?

BE YOUR OWN #BeaconOfLight. Whatever that means for you.

Hey, Danny! I think it's great that you're doing what you're doing.

I don't have a real question, but one of my best friends is obsessed with 80s sitcoms. Is it okay if I tell him that you said he was an idiot asshole (that's funnier)?

Cheers! :)

LOL! No! Thats mean, tell him something like... I've had a crush on him since 2003.

As a read upcoming reddits tomorrow, the subject of Cannabis comes up as a subject. Do you advocate the using of Cannabis for medical purposes?

Of course. It makes a huge difference for people! We were driving on the freeway in LA the other day and this guy was literally smoking from a bong while driving with no hands on the steering wheel. THAT I do not advocate!

Of course. It makes a huge difference for people! We were driving on the freeway in LA the other day and this guy was literally smoking from a bong while driving with no hands on the steering wheel. THAT I do not advocate!

Check me out obn Periscope for proof its actually me! LOL

How much does Tony Danza hate the Tiny Dancer joke?

I actually don't know!! I'll have to ask, probably not at all. :) He is the biggest jokester of them all! You should hear some of his jokes, they are totally DAD jokes. :) Like, really dad, that joke is lame! :)

You are amazing. Be strong and live long. I recently left my ex because of his meth addiction and sex addiction. I want to get through to him. He is a closeted bisexual. Any advice?

The closet is contributing to the problems, he can live his truth. But there's nothing you can do, they need to come through it on their own. If you can get everyone in their life to put their foot down and say 'We're not dealing with you until you get help, thats likely the only thing they will hear.' BUT, there's one thing I'm not an expert on is how to help people like that... I just watch alot of Intervention.

What has been PFChang's response to the revelations you made public?

Good question, I don't know. My boss and my bosses boss were both VERY supportive. I told them this was coming back in May and they were really great. not sure if PFChangs has released a statement or anything I doubt it, this is a big month for them with Breast Cancer Awareness Programs so I'd rather them focus on that.

How did you feel about Melissa's reaction to your announcement?

Alyssa is currently my EVERYTHING. I live and love Alyssa Milano! I'm so happy we reconnected!

This may be personal - but what lead to the drug abuse that as you said led to the transmission? Were you struggling with depression or with coming out?

Sex. I was getting into BDSM in NYC and unfortunately BDSM was quite intertwined with Meth... Meth makes you have no limits... so ... thats how I got INTO it... Is one of the reasons I did it off and on for three years because of how things were going in my life... a little depression but mostly life circumstance depression. No issues with the coming out though.

thank you so much for sharing this and being here!

you're welcome!

Hi Danny,

I read somewhere that you would like to get called Daniel nowadays and I totally wouldn't mind but I wonder, if that's true, why you are still using "Danny" here as well as on twitter and on facebook? Is that due to the fact that you are known as "Danny"?

I also read or heard somewhere that you are still very close with Judith Light. I really enjoy seeing her playing different roles on television. Is there anything you have seen her in that impressed you a lot? Or that you enjoyed a lot? Or where you hated her? (Because I hated her character on "Dallas" - but was still disappointed the whole show got canceled and the fans are still hanging in the air with that cliffhanger.)

Also: Have you ever heard any of your dubbing voices? I'm German and have seen "Wer ist hier der Boss?" (German title) as a kid - and still remember that while we (my family) were in Paris I watched an episode in French with my brother. Neither of us knew any French back then but it was still funny.

Wishing you all the best!

[Edited for spelling]

[Another edit] This is my first entry in a AMA and even though I do have questions more about your latest reveal I wanted not to ask them because those are questions I would only ask a close friend about their personal life. I want to respect your privacy and you yourself as a person. If I should ever meet you in person and we were talking about a drink and the topic came up I would probably ask you these questions then - and still let you deside if you wanted to answer or not.

I have been Daniel for years... especially as a manager at PFChangs. But I've given in and gone back to Danny for this process cause its just what everybody knows me as. Everything for Judith - she commits so completely to every part... but her work in Transparent is inspiring. I love her theater work as well. Can't wait for her new play.

Yes! The same guy who did Tony's voice also did mine for Madam Est Servie, so creepy sounding!

Thanks for the reply, Daniel! I bet Judith Light is amazing on stage - but I doubt I will ever see her live. Have a great afternoon - for me it's nearly time to go to bed... Midnight's just around the corner!

Take care!

Since you have heard of PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), how do you see its implementation affecting the fight against HIV/AIDS? What are your personal feelings regarding Negative people using it as prevention?

PReP is one of the tools we have to completely eradicate HIV as a problem. Literally, if everyone took PreP, no one would get HIV. Its essentially a self-prescribed vaccination. I'm thrilled for HIV negative people to have an additional tool in their arsenal. I'm worried that it will add to the complacency... PReP should NOT be the only thing you do to protect yourself, other STIs can be just as deadly, and you want to protect the other person as well right?

Danny, thanks for doing this! It's always amazing to know how much more work needs to be done in HIV awareness and education. I've been doing my own work to this effort as a cyclist. I've rode the AIDS/LifeCycle ride twice and am looking to ride next year (have not signed up yet).

Have you ever heard of AIDS/LifeCycle? Would you ever consider coming out and doing a ride, or perhaps just meeting with people trying to help fight the spread of AIDS?

FYI: http://aidslifecycle.org

You are a TRUE #BeaconOfLight! Thank you for being so cool! Of course, I have alot of friends who do them every year in their city!!! I would LOVE to, but I think I'd love to be on the sidelines giving you water in a silly outfit more~! aidslifecycle is everything!

YAYAY!!! Love it!!! I feel like I should register right now to ride next year just so I can convince you to come out and party with us!!

If you do though, the general preference is Red Vines or Twizzlers (often a subject of debate).

Seriously if you do, I'm sure the organizers would know who you are and would welcome your interest with open arms. I hope to see you out there!

I will definitely be reaching out to them soon to get involved in every way I can!

Excellent! PM me too if you want my help. I'm just another rider (well, I will be very shortly), but I can tell you the right people to talk to...

Will do!

Are you still doing the crystal meth? Are you in recovery? What has your journey been like?

I have not done crystal in over a year, and that was just one time, the last time before that was 2 years, and then 2 years before that. No recovery, I did it on my own... not to say recovery isn't amazing, just wasn't for me. Journey has been long, you never loose the craving for Meth, you have to stay on top of it everyday.

Was having HIV one of the reasons for drug use? If not, what were the reasons? My father was on meth for 20+ years before he got clean.

Drug use came first. And it contributed to getting HIV. I think the drug use may have continued because I was dealing with having HIV, and also its just really addictive... 20+ years is a long long time.. and I'm sorry about that... I'm glad he's better and still with us?

Was there a reason for doing drugs? Was it after WTB? He is doing a lot better, thank you! Having a dad on drugs and drinking drew me into depression because he would hurt me too.

Way after WTB while living in NYC. The reason I started was sex, I was exploring BDSM and the person I chose to explore that with was doing meth. Thats no good. I hope you're doing better though!

Katherine Helmond - Fear and Loathing I Las Vegas as the Hotel Clerk / Lizard that ate Johnny Depp in his drug-induced craze. Could you have predicted it?

LOL. No? I'm not sure, I've NEVER seen the movie! Sad right?? LOL. Katherine Helmond in anything is always genius!

The scene was unforgettable. she turns into a lizard, eats johnny depp, but it's a hallucination. hilarious.

MUST WATCH

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ABSOLUTELY NOT. I'm very versatile. I'm not satisfied unless I've done both positions. :)

Did you ever hit Alyssa Milano from the back?

Ew.

Ew? Dude, in the WtB days, she was the hottest thing going.

Well, I just mean, me doing Alyssa is EW. But yeah, she was the shit back then! I think she still is!

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DOUBLE EW! Not as much as you're going to assume.