Danny Roberts is HIV-positive. So why did ‘The Real World’ leave that out?

When Danny Roberts decided to return to reality TV after two decades to film “The Real World Homecoming: New Orleans,” he made it clear to producers he wanted to share his experiences as a person living with HIV. “Although Danny did discuss his HIV status while filming ‘The Real World Homecoming: New Orleans,’ he also spoke extensively about the mental health challenges he struggled with after the filming of the original series and how he has coped with those challenges,” the statement continued. “I don’t buy it for a second.” Danny Roberts, Kelley Limp, Matt Smith, Melissa Howard, David Broom and Jamie Murray of “The Real World: New Orleans” Roberts, 44, who grew up in rural northwest Georgia — in Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s district, he wryly notes — recalls the influence Zamora had on him as an adolescent who had not yet come to terms with his own sexuality. What I went through during the pandemic is so maddening to me as someone who is alive now because of medicine.” Roberts believes that while producers expressed interest in his HIV storyline, “the ultimate decision was made that the Julie circus was more important to them.” Roberts is referring to his co-star Julie Stoffer, whose volatile behavior — including falling on her face while drunk, accusing her Black roommate Tokyo Broom of assault, and sharing intimate photos of her husband — consumed much of the season and drove castmate Kelley Wolf to leave the show before production was complete. “I saw it as a dividing line.” Melissa Beck, from left, Julie Stoffer and Danny Roberts in “The Real World Homecoming: New Orleans.” It transformed his life in ways he couldn’t have anticipated, turning his relationship into Exhibit A in the case against “don’t ask, don’t tell.” With an appealingly laidback personality and the dreamy good looks of a boy band member, he became a celebrity who graced magazine covers and red carpets.