"I Don't Have AIDS"

Nothing is apparently worse than an ex-lover scorned. Such is the case with actor Darius McCrary, best known as “Eddie Winslow” on the long-running ABC sitcom ‘Family Matters.’ McCrary was the subject of a malicious e-mail circulated by someone who is suspected to be a bitter ex-girlfriend, though McCrary doesn’t even want to make any accusations about the culprit.The bogus e-mail said the popular actor of had AIDS and created a fictitious scene of how the female making the accusation discovered his illness moments before an unprotected sexual encounter, by going through his medicine cabinet after getting a headache. Unlike recent internet hoaxes that have killed off Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child and actor Kel Mitchell (‘One on One’), accused Jaleel White (‘Family Matters’) of dressing in drag, having Ne-Yo come out the closet, and reporting that pop star Ciara was previously a man; McCrary, unlike the others, has a good idea of who started the false chain mail about him.“I don’t want to give the person too much energy who did it, but it’s definitely a bunch of bull. It’s totally not true,” McCrary told me via cell phone from Los Angeles late last week. The actor couldn’t imagine how someone could be cruel enough to fabricate such an e-mail and doesn’t believe he’s ever done anything to warrant such backlash. “Only thing I am guilty of is loving ladies! And maybe loving them too good,” offered the Walnut, Calif. native.McCrary did tell me that the exasperated ex wasn’t his ex-wife, a Las Vegas showgirl named Juliette whom he wed last December and was married to for five weeks. The ‘Something to Sing About’ star said he and Juliette have a great relationship despite being divorced. “Sometimes it just doesn’t work out,” explained the actor. “We’re still good friends and we talk on the regular. That’s my homegirl. Sometimes you’re better suited to be friends with someone than to marry somebody. We’re better friends…we hang out…we kick it.”The 30-year-old actor, who most recently starred in the NBC series ‘Committed’ and had a recurring role on ‘Girlfriends,’ also broke news that he’s about to be a dad. “I just found out that I have an 18-year contract that will finish being negotiated in the next nine months,” he laughed.
McCrary, who is launching a “top-secret children’s educational program that will help fix illiteracy,” has vowed to remain positive despite the negative attention. “I’m glad to know folks talking bout me ‘cause I thought folks thought I was gone,” he laughed, before adding: “Anybody else got anything they want to start?”