Charlie Sheen’s Chaotic Life Earned Him Bigger Sitcom Pay

More details about Charlie Sheen‘s past have been unveiled thanks to his Netflix documentary!

The actor, once infamously known for his party boy lifestyle, detailed his life, career, and addiction struggles in the docuseries “aka Charlie Sheen.” Those who witnessed him at his highs and lows reflected on their time together, including a former co-star from “Two and a Half Men.”

Jon Cryer addressed their time on the hit CBS sitcom, revealing that despite having a co-leading role with Charlie Sheen, the latter’s pay was significantly higher than his. Why? Because his volatile lifestyle allegedly kept showrunners on their toes, making them desperate to keep Sheen happy.

During the height of his career, Sheen was hailed as the highest-paid actor on television thanks to his success on the CBS sitcom. He portrayed Charlie Harper on the series, next to Cryer’s co-leading role as Alan Harper.

Despite being the main stars of the program, Sheen walked home with nearly $2 million per episode, while Cryer made at least two-thirds less than that. His income did not improve until his former co-star’s disgraceful exit in 2011, when his salary skyrocketed to $620,000 per episode.

Cryer addressed his thoughts on why CBS paid Sheen a massive sum at the time, comparing him to North Korea’s late supreme ruler, Kim Jong-il. He claimed other countries feared the deceased politician and “would shovel money at him” to keep the peace.

“Well, that’s what happened here. [Sheen’s] negotiations went off the charts because his life was falling apart. Me, whose life was pretty good at that time, I got a third of that,” Cryer claimed in the documentary, per Page Six.

Showrunners kicked Sheen off the “Two and a Half Men” series in 2011 when he publicly criticized the sitcom’s creator, Chuck Lorre. His erratic behavior had also become too much for them to handle, coupled with Sheen’s claims of being underpaid.

Following his disgraceful exit, Sheen was replaced by Ashton Kutcher, who reportedly earned more than Cryer. While Cryer’s salary was increased to $620,000, Kutcher made $700,000 per episode.

Before Kutcher joined the cast, Denise Richards, Sheen’s second ex-wife, claimed the sitcom’s producers would contact her about her partner’s well-being. She recalled a moment in Sheen’s home where Cryer was shocked when she offered to make sandwiches for “two or three hookers” present.

Early this month, Sheen confessed in a cover story for PEOPLE that he did not contact Cryer to participate in the documentary. He claimed he could not reach his former co-star because he “didn’t have the right number.”

On that note, the documentary’s director invited Cryer to participate in the project. Sheen claimed he watched the actor’s compassionate and insightful comments about their past, noting that he wrote a message thanking him for his words but did not receive a response.

Sheen stressed that he believed he had the wrong number because Cryer wasn’t the type to ignore his message. However, he noted Cryer had several reasons to be upset with him as his addiction struggles affected his life and career negatively, particularly their sitcom’s trajectory.

Ahead of his documentary premiere, The Blast shared that Sheen had opened up about his sexual interest in men. He claimed he initially enjoyed spending time with women and never considered the same sex until he dabbled in crack.

Sheen explained that the illicit substance sparked his interest in men, noting he did not immediately accept this part of himself. Whenever he was not on the drug, he would wonder, “Where did that come from?… Why did that happen?”

Eventually, Sheen stopped questioning his interest in men and came to enjoy the pleasure that accompanied these relationships. He described some of these encounters as “weird” and others “f-cking fun.”

Days earlier, The Blast reported that Sheen revealed he has been celibate on his 8-year sobriety journey. He explained that sex used to be a habit he could not quit for a long time, claiming he lost his virginity at 15 to a Las Vegas sex worker.

However, Sheen stopped paying women for sex or dating on his sobriety journey, noting he “saw [celibacy] as a needed break from those pursuits.” Despite his incredible achievement, Sheen stressed that he was open to finding love again.

Sheen explained that he wasn’t “slamming the door on anything in the future” and “would absolutely welcome some type of companionship.” He noted his HIV is well-managed, a condition he publicized in 2015.

Can Charlie Sheen’s new documentary pave the way for a new romance?