Charlie Sheen Had Some Harsh Words For The Big Bang Theory

This article contains discussions of addiction.

Charlie Sheen isn't exactly quiet about his opinions, for better or for worse. (Usually for worse, to be frank.) So, what does he think of "The Big Bang Theory?" Not a whole lot!

In a 2013 interview with The Guardian, the troubled nepo baby went off on Chuck Lorre's hit sitcom while simultaneously bragging about his own successes; as he told interviewer Emma Brockes, he thinks that his sitcom "Two and a Half Men," which also had Lorre at the helm, kickstarted the success of "The Big Bang Theory."

"You gotta think about the shows that my show launched. I should have added in a clause that said anything that uses me as a lead-in, cut me in." (In the article, Brockes notes that "The Big Bang Theory" was supposed to run after Sheen's post-"Two and a Half Men" project "Anger Management.") From there, Sheen continued to crap all over "The Big Bang Theory," and he did not mince his words.

"I'm sorry, but 'Big Bang Theory' is a piece of s*** – it's a stupid show and it's just lame, about lame people," Sheen declared. "I like the kids in it, but that show without us as a lead-in is ... goodbye. And I'm rooting for those kids, because I know who they're dealing with. The fact that they're still sane is crazy. You know? He's a bad man. And I've backed off from him for a while." (When Brockes asked who, Sheen clarified that he was talking about Lorre before apparently going on to call him something else; as she wrote, Sheen made "the weird call to 'insult' him by using a Hebrew version of his name, Chaim Levine.") So, let's back up. Who did Sheen play on "Two and a Half Men," and why did he leave the show?

In case you forgot — which is understandable, because there's a lot going on at any given moment — Charlie Sheen spent eight seasons playing the not-so-eligible bachelor and jingle writer Charlie Harper on Chuck Lorre's other hit sitcom "Two and a Half Men," which also featured Jon Cryer as the on-screen Charlie's brother Alan and Alan's young son Jake (Angus T. Jones). After Alan gets a divorce from Jake's mom, the duo move in with Charlie (thanks to his successful jingles, Charlie happens to live in a gorgeous Malibu mansion with plenty of room), creating a sort of "Odd Couple" situation (but with a kid this time).

Throughout the series, an extremely uptight Alan is forced to deal with the fact that his brother is constantly bringing new women into his home in front of Jake, and the trio get into all sorts of misadventures. (Notably, the show also features Melanie Lynskey as Charlie's stalker Rose, who, it's ultimately revealed, "kills" him off-screen by pushing him in front of a train in the Paris metro. Thankfully, Lynskey went on to appear in much better small-screen projects like "Yellowjackets" and "The Last of Us" later on.) Yes, Sheen's character is killed off before the season 9 premiere of "Two and a Half Men" — because of a ton of on-set drama and Sheen's own (allegedly) terrible behavior.

Pretty much everyone knows that Charlie Sheen, who has famously struggled with drug and alcohol dependency throughout his life, was replaced by Ashton Kutcher for season 9 of "Two and a Half Men" after Warner Bros. and Chuck Lorre kicked him off of the sitcom. In a letter obtained by TMZ around the time of Sheen's termination, the studio's lawyers wrote, "Your client has been engaged in dangerously self-destructive conduct and appears to be very ill." After that, they invoked "his inability to perform the essential duties of his position, (including) his physical appearance, inability to deliver lines, inability to collaborate creatively with staff and crew, [and] inability to work with the executive producers." If that wasn't enough, the letter also cited "inflammatory comments poisoning key working relationships, and frustration of the show's creative environment by the public spectacle of his self-inflicted disintegration." (Warner Bros. also claimed that Sheen committed "a felony offense involving moral turpitude.")

In a statement made to the same outlet (via a report in Deadline), Sheen offered an ... interesting response. "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 the bazillions, never have to look at whatshisc**k again and I never have to put on those silly shirts for as long as this warlock exists in the terrestrial dimension." Later, Sheen reached out to Access Hollywood host Billy Bush, also via Deadline, and said he was fired through a text message, ranting, "These guys are such yellow cockroaches that they didn't even have the decency to call me. I put 5 [billion] in their cheap suit pockets and another half a [billion] in what's-his-cheese's pockets and this is the f***ing respect I get? It's just deplorable, and they should be ashamed of themselves!"

Anyway, "Two and a Half Men" is streaming on Peacock, and "The Big Bang Theory" is currently streaming on Max.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).