Former child star Angus T. Jones became a household name thanks to "Two and a Half Men."
After 10 seasons of playing Jake, the half a man,
he abruptly left the show. But where's he been since then, and what's he been doing?
In the 2010s, Angus T. Jones started getting really religious. The actor did an interview
with "The Forerunner Chronicles" in 2012 in which he discussed his literal coming-to-God moment,
saying that he'd begun actively studying the Bible, listening to sermons, and searching for a
church to attend regularly. After, quote, "three or four" church services every Sunday, someone
finally recommended a Seventh-Day Adventist Church for the young "Two and a Half Men" star.
As he tells it, he was instantly hooked, as he explained to "The Forerunner Chronicles."
"I just loved it. It was so great. It was so clear, too."
Jones even stuck to his new faith despite his family's concerns,
admitting in the interview that even though they worried about him falling
in with, quote "those cults," he felt secure in what he believed. For him,
the sermons he was hearing matched up with what he felt the Bible wanted him to know.
Angus T. Jones finding God and joining the Seventh-day Adventist Church isn't
necessarily a bad thing. The problem, at least professionally, was that the
actor started publicly and passionately slamming his sitcom because of his faith.
In an interview with "The Forerunner Chronicles," he went so far as to say:
"If you watch 'Two and a Half Men,' please stop watching 'Two and a Half Men.'"
Jones went on to beg fans to stop watching the show and to stop consuming what he dubbed,
quote, "filth." And he didn't stop there! Jones continued to insult his show in the interview,
claiming that any, quote, "God-fearing person" couldn't be on a show like "Two and a Half Men."
Jones quickly realized the error in his statements after the now-infamous
interview sparked massive controversy. The young star even went so far as
to backtrack his comments in a public statement, apologizing to his coworkers.
Angus T. Jones took his religion one step further when he quit "Two and a Half Men"
at the end of Season 10 because of his newfound dedication to his faith.
Jones explained his decision to People magazine at the time by saying:
"It was making light of topics in our world that are really problems for a lot of people.
I was a paid hypocrite because I wasn't okay with it, but I was still doing it."
When Jones decided he didn't want to be a part of the show any more,
"Two and a Half Men" did a decent job explaining away the loss of its "half."
Jones' character, Jake Harper, went away to Japan, leaving behind his dysfunctional family.
"Thing is, I'm gonna be going away for a while."
The show even replaced Jones in Season 11 with Amber Tamblyn,
who appeared as Charlie Sheen's previously unknown daughter.
What did Jones do instead of acting in "Two and a Half Men"? According to People, the young
actor had big dreams of creating "Bible-based stories" and further sharing the word of God.
What does a grown-up child star do once he quits the show that made him famous?
Go to college, of course! And that's exactly what Angus T. Jones did. After leaving "Two and a Half
Men" because of his religious beliefs, the young actor also departed the entertainment
world to pursue a higher education. According to People, Jones attended the University of Colorado
at Boulder in an environmental studies program. However, he changed his major to Jewish studies
at the end of his freshman year — maybe to continue his exploration of religion.
Though giving up fame and fortune for an average life as a college kid might seem
silly to some people, Jones was right where he wanted to be. As he told People in 2016:
"I was very confident at that time. Going
to college was something I was really, really excited about."
The child star was also excited to get out of the limelight and, as he told People,
live a, quote, "normal existence" in which he wasn't always in the full spotlight of TV fame.
Despite all the drama that surrounded Angus T. Jones' departure from "Two and a Half Men,"
it appears that there wasn't any bad blood between the young actor
and the team behind the show that made him famous. The show's creator, Chuck Lorre,
told Variety that Jones apologized for his comments about he show and that he and Jones
were on, quote, "good terms." Apparently they were on such good terms that Jones was invited
to make a special appearance as Jake Harper in the "Two and a Half Men" series finale.
Jones' character, Jake, popped up in the final episode just long enough to tell his
family that he made a bunch of money in Vegas, married a Japanese dancer,
and had a few kids — which was enough for the fans. According to Lorre,
the audience response to seeing Jones was, quote, "so loud and exuberant" that the
production team actually had to tone it down for the final broadcast. As Lorre told Variety:
"They were so excited to see him — it went on and on ... It was like old times."
After all the drama of getting involved with the Seventh-day Adventist Church,
publicly calling out "Two and a Half Men," and leaving the show because of his religious beliefs,
Angus T. Jones ended up backing away from religion,
according to an interview he did with People in 2016. As he told the magazine:
"Over the last three years I've been involved with various faith-based organizations.
Right now, I'm stepping away from the organizational business-model programs."
Jones also tried to explain his change of heart by saying that he wanted to
chart his own course with an organization's, quote, "stamp of approval" over his behavior.
The former child star also seemed a bit contrite over his past choices, telling the publication
that he felt very sure of himself back then. This seems to imply that he's no longer confident in
his beliefs, but confident or not, Jones did make it clear that he was moving on.
Though Angus T. Jones quit "Two and a Half Men” and enrolled in college,
he wasn't totally done with acting. The grown-up child star made a special appearance
in "Horace and Pete," a ten-part web series created by now-disgraced comedian Louis C.K.
about two brothers who run a family bar.
Although the role was small — just a few lines — Jones' casting was deliberate. On
an episode of the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast, C.K. explained that he'd chosen
Jones specifically because of his, quote, "moral conflict" with "Two and a Half Men."
Fascinated by the notion that someone would choose to walk away from something that successful over
moral convictions, C.K. drew comparisons between Jones and the character of Horace,
and went to the actor with the idea. Jones agreed, and took on the part.
Like many child stars, Angus T. Jones left the acting scene and transitioned to a role
on the other side of the camera. According to People, he got a job
as the president of entertainment at Tonite, a live events company founded by Justin Combs,
son of rapper and music producer Sean Combs. Combs founded Tonite in 2015,
and Jones got involved in 2016 after meeting Combs through a mutual friend.
Though the switch from acting to event production might seem random, Jones actually had a family
connection to the business. As he explained to People, Jones' father worked in equipment rentals
at events and festivals in the music industry, and he was excited to return to that world.
One unforeseen benefit of Angus T. Jones joining the Tonite team was that it made
him fully appreciate how amazing his time on "Two and a Half Men" really was.
As he explained to Billboard in 2016:
"I am now fully understanding what people meant when they told me that
'Two and a Half Men' was one of the best jobs ever if not the best job ever."
In fact, looking back on how fortunate his time with "Two and a Half Men" was
managed to get Jones thinking about getting back into acting again. As reported by People,
Jones actually held onto his acting agent and even appeared in a friend's short film,
but he didn't want to go too hard too fast. He admitted to the publication that the door was,
quote, "definitely still open" for him to get back into acting, but he wasn't quite ready to give up
the flexibility that his current job allowed him and commit to long-term filming again.
Though Angus T. Jones might have hinted he would head back to Hollywood eventually,
he doesn't seem to be in any hurry. Especially since his sitcom-free
schedule left him with plenty of time to hang out with his younger brother,
Otto. Not much is known about the young Jones other than he was a super cute kid and his
older brother loves him very, very much. In fact, Angus T. Jones even told People,
"Getting to be a part of his life is one of my most favorite things."
Jones' love for his baby brother is also very apparent in the adorable pictures
he posts on his Instagram. Whether they're sharing selfies or cracking jokes together,
the Jones Brothers definitely have their social media game down,
and it's clear that their relationship is something the older Jones values deeply.
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