UPDATE Wednesday, Nov. 18: More than 40 women and a male transsexual told Lead Stories in recent days they were worried they were exposed to HIV through unprotected sex with Charlie Sheen, but none of them have yet tested positive for the virus that can lead to AIDS. Read our exclusive story here: 40 Women Claim Unprotected Sex With HIV Positive Charlie Sheen

UPDATE Tuesday, Nov. 17: Charlie Sheen acknowledged that he has been diagnosed as HIV positive in a love interview Tuesday with NBC's Today Show. The admission came in a live interview with NBC's Matt Lauer days after tabloid reports hinted that he was hiding his HIV positive status. Read "Charlie Sheen: 'I am in Fact HIV Positive'"

It's a "secret" known to several Hollywood journalists for more than a year. Celebrity news website RadarOnline published a story on November 2, 2015, headlined: "Hollywood Superstar's Desperate Battle With AIDS Revealed." The report said he was a "world famous actor" who "fears his fans will hate him."

The story did not name the star, which triggered speculation in the media about who it could be. London's Sun newspaper reported on November 10, 2015 that "Hollywood was gripped with fear last night after a womanising A-list actor was diagnosed with HIV." Still no name.

Lead Stories knows the name of the actor supposedly hiding his HIV diagnosis. We are not publishing his identity out of ethical considerations and respect for the privacy of the HIV patient. Ironically, the lawyer for the actor in question also represents other actors who have been tainted by the speculation.

We can with certainty tell you who the purported HIV-infected A-list actor is not. We will publish a definitive list since the speculation is unfair to those unjustly suspected. We may add to this list as we find additional names placed into the speculation:

It is not Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Colin Farrell, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Eddie Murphy, Keanu Reeves, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Robert De Niro, Liam Neeson, Tom Green, Benedict Cumberbatch, Liam Hemsworth, Tom Hardy, Russell Brand, Jeremy Renner, Zac Efron, Sean Penn, Jake Gyllenhaal, Richard Gere, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Daniel Craig, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Affleck, Johnny Depp, Joaquin Phoenix, Owen Wilson, Jim Carrey, Vince Vaughan, Jude Law, Jason Statham, Viggo Mortensen, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Ed Norton, Jack Nicholson, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Billy Bob Thornton, Orlando Bloom, Ryan Reynolds, Gerard Butler, Owen Wilson, Denzel Washington, James McAvoy, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake, James Franco, Russell Crowe, Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Cage, Channing Tatum, Kevin Costner, Shia Labeouf, Terrence Howard, Ryan Philippe, Jon Hamm, John Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Benicio del Toro, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, David Duchovny, Mel Gibson, Al Pacino, John Malkovich, Anthony Hopkins, Warren Beatty, John Goodman, Jason Segal or John Travolta.

Any A-lister -- other than the one who it is -- can request to be added to this list by contacting Lead Stories by email at [email protected]

If you have slept with an A-list actor in recent years and are concerned that you may have been exposed, you can also email us at Was[email protected] If it was NOT him, we will let you know. We will also keep your identity a secret.

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