Jon Cryer Confirms What We Always Suspected About Charlie Sheen's Time On Two And A Half Men
It's impossible to avoid thinking of "Two and a Half Men" without remembering the cloud of scandal that dogged it toward its final seasons. Charlie Sheen's erratic public behavior, which led to him being fired in 2011 and his character being killed off, has entered the annals of sitcom history as one of the messiest behind-the-scenes dramas since Cindy Williams walked away from "Laverne and Shirley" in 1982.
The bad blood between Sheen and the show's executive producer, Chuck Lorre, only increased after Ashton Kutcher was brought in to play Jon Cryer's roommate for the rest of the series. The feud resulted in Sheen not being invited to appear in the show's final season, which included a plotline where Charlie Harper loses his mind and tries to kill his brother Alan and Walden Schmidt (Kutcher).
With 10 years gone by and the sitcom a distant but fond memory, here's what Cryer had to say about working with Sheen. His words confirm and expand upon what we always thought the twosome's working relationship was like during the sitcom's run.
The actors' working relationship deteriorated over time
During a June 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Cryer described a relationship that started out warmly, but which soon fell apart as the weight of Sheen's behavior pulled the sitcom apart at its seams.
For the show's first few seasons, everything seemed to go swimmingly. Cryer said that Sheen adjusted well to performing for a live studio audience, and kept the show a priority in spite of his busy work calendar. "We got along great, he had been sober for two years when we started the show, and it was really important to him to keep sober. And for those first few years, the show was also going so smoothly," Cryer told Kevin Frazier.
But things changed in the wake of Sheen's 2006 divorce from Denise Richards. While Sheen initially behaved professionally on the set, he soon started complaining about the show's writing, something Cryer claims he'd never done before then. "I would say, 'This is the kind of joke you had no problem with a year and a half ago, and suddenly now it's an issue?'" he recalled, adding that Sheen's shift in attitude was subtle until he began ranting about Chuck Lorre in the media.
As Sheen's behavior escalated, Cryer and Lorre discussed whether or not to end the series, with Lorre eventually choosing to bring Kutcher on. Cryer admitted that the younger actor's enthusiasm helped bring a new life to the series, which would continue for four more seasons without Sheen. Cryer added that he and Sheen are no longer in touch.