Warner Bros. fires actor Charlie Sheen
Actor Charlie Sheen gestures toward the media as he leaves the Pitkin County Courthouse after his sentencing hearing in Aspen, Colorado, in this August 2, 2010 file photo. The makers of top-rated U.S. TV comedy "Two and A Half Men" said on March 7, 2011 they had ended Sheen's contract with the show. "After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen's services on "Two and a Half Men" effective immediately," Warner Bros Television said in a statement. Picture taken August 2, 2010. [Xinhua/Reuters] |
Warner Bros. Television on Monday officially fired troubled actor Charlie Sheen from the hit CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men," after the production was placed on hiatus in the wake of the actor's hospitalization, a marathon party at his home and a stint at the rehab.
"After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen's services on `Two and a Half Men' effective immediately," the production company said in a one- sentence statement.
However, the company did not say whether the sitcom would return to production without the 45-year-old actor.
In response to his firing, Sheen said this was "very good news. "
"They continue to be in breach, like so many whales," he said in a statement given to celebrity website TMZ.com. "It is a big day of gladness at the Sober Valley Lodge because now I can take all the bazillions ... and I never have to put on those silly shirts for as long as this warlock exists in the terrestrial dimension."
Sheen has been on a media blitz in recent days, lashing out at the producers of "Two and Half Men" for canceling production for the remainder of the current, or eighth season. His public bashing of series co-creator Chuck Lorre eventually prompted CBS to cancel the rest of the show's season.
Last week, a Los Angeles judge issued a restraining order against the actor, who was forced to turn over his two children to estranged wife Brooke Mueller, who claimed in court papers that Sheen was "currently insane."
As the lead actor in the "Two and a Half Men," Sheen was reportedly earning around 1.8 million to 2 million dollars per episode, making him the highest paid actor on television.
In 2010, CBS and Warner Bros. Television reached a multi-year broadcast agreement for the series, renewing it through at least the 2011-12 season. Since Warner Bros. fired Sheen, the future of the show was further put in jeopardy.