Two and a Half Men was incredibly popular amid its 12-season run on CBS and, even now, many continue to watch the show by way of syndication or by binging it via streaming. As a result of that popularity, the main stars garnered major paychecks, especially Charlie Sheen. For his role as jingle writer Charlie Harper, Sheen’s salary was notably high and, by the time he was unceremoniously fired from Men, he was the highest paid actor on TV. What I didn’t know, however, was that he used some of his personal issues when bargaining for his fee.
Sheen’s Men co-star, Jon Cryer, recently reflected on the financial side of being one of the leads on the Chuck Lorre-created sitcom. While speaking with Page Six, Cryer recalled being flabbergasted over how Sheen “enhanced his negotiating stance.” Apparently, Sheen would use the hardships in his life – including legal issues and addiction struggles – to argue for higher pay. All in all, Cryer seemingly found the entire situation somewhat ironic:
