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Who’s The Boss debuted in 1984 and went on to run for 8 successful seasons, making it one of the most popular sitcoms of the ’80s. The show, like any sitcom, drew its strength from the chemistry between its lead actors; in this case, they were Tony Danza, Judith Light, Katherine Helmond, Alyssa Milano and Danny Pintauro.

Of the five primary figures on Boss, Pintauro has had the most difficult time since the show went off the air in 1992. The former child star struggled to find work, battled an addiction to crystal meth, and then, in 1997, Pintauro publicly revealed that he was gay under duress (the National Enquirer was threatening to out him). Then, during an episode of Oprah Winfrey’s OWN show Oprah: Where Are They Now? that aired last night, he admitted that he has been diagnosed as HIV-positive:

“I wanted to tell you this a long time ago, but I wasn’t ready — I’m ready now — that I’m HIV positive, and I have been for 12 years,” Pintauro, 39, told Winfrey. “It’s just a big deal. It’s not something that people are talking about right now really.”

Watch the clip:

Pintauro’s admission was an emotional one, certainly. We applaud his courage and wish him the best of luck in both his life and his career.

Last meal as a nobody. ;) first meal as an activist. #lifelovelive

A photo posted by Danny Pintauro (@dannypintauro) on Sep 26, 2015 at 6:11pm PDT

[You can watch episodes of Where Are They Now on Oprah.com]

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