14 DAY TRIAL // In December last year, a domestic dispute led to Charlie Sheen’s arrest after he allegedly lost control and went crazy on his wife Brooke Mueller, even threatening her with a knife. As the legal proceedings are underway, Brooke is seeking help for a substance abuse, while Sheen too is looking to get cleaned up before attempting a reconciliation. Until that happens, his show “Two and a Half Men” is on hold, as TMZ informs.
Though earlier this month, the actor was speaking with the paparazzi, offering them reassurances that everything was just fine with him and his wife and that they were working on solving their differences, it seems he realized the best way to handle this was by going to rehab as well. The decision to do so came from Sheen himself and was not imposed on him by anyone else – and will translate into a 3-week break from the set of the very popular and award-winning sitcom.
“Charlie Sheen will spend two weeks in rehab, sources tell TMZ. We’ve learned over the last week Charlie told people involved with ‘Two and a Half Men’ that he was getting outpatient help for a problem, though he never specifically said drugs or alcohol. We’re told Charlie has informed the show’s producers he will be back in two weeks. ‘Two and a Half Men’ is set to take a one week hiatus in two weeks, so Charlie would not be on the set for 3 weeks. We’re told there are 6 episodes left to tape for the season,” TMZ has learned.
There might be a downside to Sheen’s decision, though, the same media outlet says. Apparently, his contract with the network is up at the end of the season and sending production into hiatus, even if only for a short while, is not the kind of thing that will help him in negotiations, TMZ believes. On the other hand, ratings have shown that not even this winter’s incident, what with the gory details and the 911 phone call being released into the wild, managed to leave deter fans of the show from watching it. On the contrary actually, ratings have improved a bit.
A joint statement from CBS and Warner Bros. confirms production on “Two and a Half Men” is suspended but makes no mention of how long the hiatus will last. “CBS, Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre support Charlie Sheen in his decision today to begin voluntary in-patient care at a treatment center,” the statement reads.