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'Who's the Boss?' Actor Danny Pintauro Reveals He Is HIV-Positive

Former child star Danny Pintauro revealed that he has been HIV-positive for more than a decade in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Danny Pintauro (L) and Judith Light
Danny Pintauro (L) and former TV mom Judith Light attend "Honeymoon In Vegas" at Nederlander Theatre on January 15, 2015 in New York City.Robin Marchant / Getty Images

Former child star Danny Pintauro revealed that he has been HIV-positive for more than a decade in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

"I'm HIV-positive. And I have been for 12 years," Pintauro shared on Saturday night's episode of "Oprah: Where Are They Now?"

Danny Pintauro (L) and Judith Light
Danny Pintauro (L) and former TV mom Judith Light attend "Honeymoon In Vegas" at Nederlander Theatre on January 15, 2015 in New York City.Robin Marchant / Getty Images

Pintauro played Judith Light's precocious son, Jonathan, on the popular Tony Danza sitcom "Who's the Boss?" that aired from 1984 until 1992 on ABC.

Pintauro, 39, told Winfrey he wanted to share his health status "a long time ago," but wasn't ready. He said he decided to share it now to serve as a role model for the gay community.

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

He shared that he was diagnosed in March 2003 while living in New York. At the time he was "completely clueless" that he had the virus, he said.

Pintauro, who now lives in Las Vegas, explained that the diagnosis actually came with a sense of relief. "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."

Pintauro came out as gay in 1997 after the National Enquirer told him it was planning to out him.

Pintauro tweeted before Saturday's episode that it would be a "life changing show." After the airing, he referred to himself as an "activist" in an Instagram post featuring a picture of him with his husband, Wil Tabares, whom he married in 2014.