HOLLYWOOD HILLS—Charlie Sheen has been handed a pink slip from CBS and Warner Brothers Studios, which ends his contract with the CBS Network and with his hit TV show “Two and a Half Men.” The termination comes less than a week after an L.A. County judge ordered authorities to take Sheen’s children away from his custody, and instating a restraining order against Sheen, which requires him to stay at least 100 feet away from not only his twin sons but his estranged wife Brooke Mueller.
Sheen immediately made light of his firing, while still contending that he may actually file a lawsuit against his former employers. He said in part, “This is very good news. They continue to be in breach, like so many whales. It is a big day of gladness at the Sober Valley Lodge because now I can take all of their bazillions, never have to look at whatshiscock again and I never have to put on those silly shirts for as long as this warlock exists in the terrestrial dimension [sic].”
On Monday, March 7, CBS and Warner Brothers released the following statement: “After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen’s services on ”˜Two and a Half Men’ effective immediately.” In part, CBS stated they released Sheen from his contract because, “[the actor’s] statements, conduct and condition prevented him from performing essential duties.”
The studio took the unprecedented step of firing an actor from one of the highest-rated programs on television. Warner Brothers, which owns and produces the series, will decide about the future of the program at a later date, a spokesman said.
Sheen’s legal battles are no longer just professional in nature, but also personal, as the custody of his two sons, Max and Bob, remains unsolved. Over the weekend, there was speculation that Mueller and Sheen had reached an agreement to share joint-custody of the boys, but that seems to have fallen through before things were finalized.
Famed victim’s advocate attorney Robin Sax has been involved with some of the nation’s most infamous cases. She helped locate and prosecute John Mark Karr, the man who falsely claimed he was with JonBenet Ramsey at the time she was sexually assaulted and murdered in her parents’ mansion. Sax tells Canyon News exclusively, “Charlie [Sheen] has a lot of legal matters to deal with. Initially his legal matters with CBS and Warner Brothers could have been solved if someone could have controlled their client [Sheen] and gotten him to stop talking so much in the media and discussing his bosses. That, however, seems to be an impossible task, and it’s quite sad that his career is paying the price for it; however, now he’s also embroiled in a legal battle for custody of his sons, and it’s very sad because it doesn’t seem as if either Charlie or Brooke [Mueller] are good candidates for parenting right now.”
When asked to speculate on the prospects of Sheen’s legal battles with his soon to be ex-wife and his former employer, Sax concluded, “It’s certainly more probable than not that Charlie Sheen’s fights with his ex and his former employer will be many and long battles. All you need in order to have a long and protracted legal battle is time and money. Charlie has the time, the desire and obviously he’s still quite wealthy. So I suspect this will be something going on for a long time to come.”
Over the past few months, Sheen has made his feelings clear about returning to CBS during various television interviews, which include NBC’s “Today Show,” ABC’s “Good Morning America” and also “Piers Morgan” on CNN. Immediately after the Warner Brothers and CBS statement was released to the public, many of Sheen’s fellow actors began tweeting about his situation and commenting on his latest troubles. Jason Alexander said in part, “In an effort to bring a Sheen-esque quality to my portrayal, so as not to disrupt viewer appreciation, I will commence using cocaine in quantities large enough to challenge the national output of Columbia; fornicate with as many adult film actresses as I can afford—I may throw in underage Thai hookers, as well; commit assaults in four and five star hotels prior to trashing the hotel rooms; and finally strive to alienate and piss off not only my immediate bosses and superiors, but the entire film and television industry.” Alexander did add a serious note: “Sad that such a talented guy is in such despair and decline, even if he doesn’t acknowledge it or is even aware of it.”
Norm MacDonald, on the other hand, noted, “Warner Brothers just fired @charIiesheen. Now if theyd [sic] only bring back Bugs Bunny.” Actress Jaime King expressed her sympathy for the show’s crew and actors when she wrote, “Sheen fired FINALLY! My heart goes out 2 the crew & actors that lost their jobs B/C of his disrespect.”
Charlie Sheen’s attorney Mark Gross had no comment at press time, and CBS and Warner Brothers both state they will make no further statements at this time.
