In the sitcom world, every now and then, a show comes along that manages to achieve a
cult-like following.
One such show is Two and a Half Men.
From it's inaugural season in 2003 to it's finale in 2015, Charlie Sheen, Alan Harper,
Angus T. Jones, and later Ashton Kutcher treated us to some of the most memorable and uproariously
funny moments in sitcom history.
The show revolved around two brothers, Charlie and Alan Harper, played respectively by Sheen
and Cryer, and the crazy situations that they would routinely find themselves in.
Joining in on the shenanigans was the recently divorced Alan's son, Jake, played by Jones.
The series started strong.
With it's witty one-liners, perfectly timed jokes, and hysterical plot arcs, Two and a
Half Man reigned supreme for a fair bit.
Things started going downhill, however, when it became well known that the show's lead
star, Charlie Sheen, was heavily caught up in substance abuse.
The show's producer's desperately tried to play damage control by sweeping everything
under the rug and giving Sheen the benefit of the doubt.
They gave him every opportunity to get clean and turn things around, but Charlie wasn't
having it.
You might recall all those batty interviews Sheen gave around that time describing himself
as 'winning' and having 'tiger's bloods'.
It was abundantly clear that Sheen didn't view himself as having a problem nor did he
feel the need to make any life changes.
Behind the scenes, things were downright tense.
There was a ton of drama on and off set, and Charlie Sheen proved himself to be someone
that was increasingly going off the rails.
If you consider yourself a Two and a Half Men fan, then you probably already know a
little about what was going on when the cameras weren't rolling.
After all, it was all the media seemed to be interested in talking about for a time,
but despite all of this unsavory press coverage, the show's producers managed to keep some
things from going public.
Join Facts Verse as we reveal some of Two and a Half Men's filthiest behind-the-scenes
secrets.
If you thought that Charlie Sheen's drug problem was shocking, then wait till you hear what
else was going in.
Cryer Helped Hide Charlie's Drugs
Co-stars always have to have each other's back, but Cryer went above and beyond for
Sheen for far longer than he ever should have.
Not only did he have to help him remember his lines when he was too messed up during
filming, but according to some sources, he also helped hide Sheen's drug stash whenever
Sheen's ex-wife would come to visit.
Hugh Grant Almost Replaced Charlie
Once it had become crystal clear that Sheen wouldn't be returning to the show for it's
ninth season, the future of the series seemed to be up in the air.
The show was simply too popular to call it quits, and some crew members felt like the
show could've have kept going with Jon Cryer's Alan going solo.
While that might have worked, it was eventually decided that another Charlie-esque character
be brought in to replace him.
As we all know, Ashton Kurtcher ended up being Sheen's replacement, but that role almost
went to someone very different.
Hugh Grant told Howard Stern a few years back that he had been approached by the show's
producers and was offered $1 million per episode.
While that offer was tempting, he ultimately declined as they wanted him to sign a contract
before any scripts had been written.
Grant wasn't willing to commit to anything without seeing on paper exactly what they
had in mind for his role.
Sheen's Vegas Moment Surprised Cryer
We all know that Charlie Sheen and Las Vegas go together like toxic fries and ketchup.
But according to Cryer, their trip together to Vegas turned out to be much tamer than
anyone expected it to be.
Instead of hitting up the strip and getting himself into trouble, as soon as Sheen's plane
landed in sin city, he simply made his way to his room and hit the hay for a nap.
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Sheen Offered A Woman A TON Of Money To Keep Her Mouth Shut
As everyone knows, Sheen has done his fair share of questionable things, but nothing
compares to his messy relationship problems.
At one point during the actor's notorious downward spiral, he got in touch with one
of his exes who was spreading what he deemed to be false rumors about him and the way he
allegedly treated her and offered to pay her thousands of dollars to stop.
Angus T. Jones' Dark Family Secrets
Jones is known for playing the hysterically funny yet dim-witted kid on Two and a Half
Man.
His character, Jake, is the son of Alan and Charlie's nephew.
While most of you are familiar with his television role, few know about the dark family secrets
that he tried to keep from going public.
Jones' uncle Eric Eugene Claypool once shot a man that he alleged abused him as a teen.
Because of this, he is now serving a 99-year prison sentence.
Both of Jones' parents got into hot water with the law as well.
Angus' mother, Cary Jones, ran into legal trouble In 1992 when she aggressively ripped
out a cab driver's meter and assaulted a police officer while heavily intoxicated.
She was later arrested for burglary after a woman found her in her living room wearing
her boyfriend's clothes.
Carey had her husband arrested in 1997 when she accused him of pulling her out of a car
and assaulting her.
Angus's dad was previously arrested in 1986 for possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Love Triangles
While filming the series, Jon Cryer and his ex-wife Sarah Trigger got divorced in 2014.
Feeling despondent after the split, he eventually decided to get back into the dating game again.
It didn't take him long to meet a woman he was interested in and begin dating.
Cryer then decided for some unknown reason that it would be a good idea to have his new
girlfriend meet his co-star, Charlie Sheen.
After the two met, things got a little awkward when she claimed to know him already.
Sheen initially denied ever seeing the woman before in his life, but that turned out to
be a lie.
It turns out Cryer's girl and Sheen slept together in the past.
When Cryer found out, he immediately broke off the relationship.
Charlie Couldn't Hold Himself Together On Set
When things started unraveling in Sheen's turbulent personal life, he was drinking non-stop
and doing lots of drugs.
Naturally, this resulted in a great deal of drama that took a considerable toll on his
professional life.
When it was time to film episodes of the sitcom, Charlie could barely manage to get it together
on set.
He had fallen to such a low point that he barely resembled the respected actor that
he once was at the outset of the series.
He would stumble over his words and butcher his lines while not remembering where he was
supposed to be on set.
The whole situation was a huge, pathetic mess.
People started noticing that Charlie was struggling and tried to get him to go get help, but of
course, his enormously inflated ego prevented him from taking their sound advice to heart.
Lorre Was Called A Clown
Chuck Lorre is one of the most successful television producers of all time.
Some of his other notable works include The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family.
Clearly, this is a man that knows what he's doing when it comes to developing hit TV shows.
Sheen, however, wasn't very impressed.
In fact, at one point, he called Lorre a clown.
The two butt heads on set all of the time over creative decisions, and Sheen refused
to give the esteemed producer the respect he was due.
Cryer's Hair Was Completely Fake
While it might be a bit surprising to hear, Cryer's character's hair was not what it seemed
to be.
While it might have looked natural, the Daily Mail reported that the hair seen in the show
was actually painted on.
Apparently, his do was applied like shoe polish with a protective layer slathered on top to
keep it from smudging.
Sheen Refused To Get Off The Couch One Day
We've talked a lot about Sheen's wild on-set antics and drug abuse issues, but one story
that epitomizes the actor's notorious downward tailspin comes straight from Cryer.
According to him, Sheen was at one point so intoxicated and so far gone that he refused
to do his blocking and instead spent the entire day laying on the couch.
Sheen And Cryer Swapped Roles
Actors often get cast in roles that are totally unlike who they are in real life.
But in this case, the parts that Sheen and Cryer respectively played got switched around
to better suit the two actor's personalities.
After producers realized that Cryer was naturally suited for the part he ultimately stuck with,
it was decided that they should do the old switcharoo.
Ultimately, Sheen was a much better fit in the role we finally saw him in as well.
Of course, as time went on, he was no longer an ideal fit for either role and had to go.
Kutcher Only Did It For The Money
Most people will, at some point in their lives, take a job solely for the money.
Well, actors are no different, and there's no shame in that at all.
Everyone needs to pay the bills.
In recent years, Ashton Kutcher has been very open about the fact that the only reason why
he took the Two and A Half Men job was for the paycheck.
That being said, he gave a pretty decent performance for a guy that was only in it for the money.
We're just about out of time for this one, but we'd love to hear from you
Did you know that Charlie Sheen once offered one of his exes money to keep her mouth shut
about his abusive behavior and that Angus T. Jones uncle shot a man for allegedly abusing
him as a teen?
Drop us a line with your thoughts on these and any other Two and a Half Men controversies
in the comments section below.
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