Charlie Sheen’s Two and a Half Men could’ve become one of the best modern sitcoms if not for the actor’s scandalous exit from the show. He made headlines for his rant against the creator Chuck Lorre. Sheen’s reputation as a party animal did not help his public image as he was fired from the show after eight seasons. However, he revealed that his gut told him to exit the show way earlier.
He wanted to leave the show due to his personal struggles, believing that he had nothing more to tell in the role of Charlie Harper. He revealed that he had to stay in the show because his team wanted to negotiate more money for his role in the series.
Charlie Sheen Was Ready To Leave Two and a Half Men Way Before He Got Fired
Charlie Sheen appeared as a guest star in the first season of Chuck Lorre’s Bookie. It was a surprise for fans, considering how the two had a major fallout after the Two and a Half Men disaster. Sheen is all set to come back in a starring role in the second season of Bookie. In 2023, he opened up about what transpired on the popular 2003 sitcom in an interview with Deadline.
Sheen confirmed that he was paid a humungous salary, reportedly $1.8 million per episode, to return to the eighth season of the show. However, he revealed that his gut was telling him not to do that season after an exhausting seventh season. He was in and out of rehab and felt that he had given his best to the series for seven seasons.
However, the boatload of money was too big an opportunity for Sheen’s team to pass on. Sheen revealed that instead of listening to the signals, he took the bait and decided to cut a new deal. He shared that everyone involved was initially happy until everything went horribly wrong. Sheen shared with Deadline:
It’s a lot of money. And I said, I don’t know guys. My gut is screaming that if I go back, it’s going to go horribly wrong. I actually said that, and they were like, well, I can also go perfectly fabulous. I’m like, yeah, but that’s not the message I’m getting from my gut.
So did I manifest that or did I just get a signal from the future? Maybe it was time. So, do you bow out? No! We cut the new deal and everybody was happy and then everything went horribly. Everything went horribly.
Sheen also revealed his personal struggles at the time, sharing that he went through two divorces and had four children during the run of the show. The personal struggles were distracting for the actor, which prompted him to call it quits.
However, his manager and one of his agents were totally against the idea saying he had a lot more stories to tell. Sheen shared that it could’ve been greed that motivated his team.
Charlie Sheen Earned Millions From His Role As Charlie Harper
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Charlie Sheen has a net worth of $3 million. At the peak of his career, he was making millions from his role in Two and a Half Men. In the first two seasons of the show, Sheen earned a salary of $800,000 per episode (via ScreenRant).
He then earned $1.25 million per episode, becoming the highest-paid actor in television. He was also earning percentage points on this salary and by the time, he appeared for his eighth and final season, Sheen was making nearly $2 million. In comparison, Jon Cryer‘s salary was $550,000 to $620,000 per episode.
Two and a Half Men is now available for streaming on Peacock.
