Turns Out Charlie Sheen Isn’t Part of the Two

by Carson Abrir

It turns out Charlie Sheen isn’t part of the two in “Two and a Half Men.” After repeated public rants against creator and producer Chuck Lorre, executives pulled the plug on the top-rated sitcom.

CBS and Warner Brothers announced that the “totality of Charlie Sheen’s statements, conduct and condition,” led to their final decision.

The last straw for Charlie Sheen appears to have been a radio interview with Alex Jones that listeners have called “bizarre and incoherent.”

“The 45-year old Sheen, who seems to be doing his best impression of how to spectacularly end a career in showbiz, gave a bizarre and incoherent radio interview with Alex Jones in which he tore into his executive producer Chuck Lorre and other targets such as Alcoholics Anonymous, calling it a ‘bootleg cult’ with a 5% success rate, compared to his own ‘100%’ success rate,” TIME Magazine reported.

The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg weighed in by awarding Charlie Sheen the first annual Mel Gibson Prize.

“For no apparent reason, in both interviews Mr. Sheen said Mr. Lorre’s real name is Chaim Levine,” Goldberg wrote. “The comment struck executives at both CBS and Warner Brothers as anti-Semitic.”

Charlie Sheen’s real name is Carlos Irwin Estevez.

While lots of people are disappointed in Charlie Sheen for prematurely ejecting himself from CBS’s hit prime time comedy, it’s not unusual for someone in the throws of addiction to eventually blow a fuse or two.

I recently learned an exercise in a marriage education boot camp that might be helpful for Charlie Sheen too. It’s definitely a much less expensive place to start then the $2000-$5000 a day rehabs.

For Charlie Sheen to try it himself, he’ll need a friend or family member who’s willing to just listen.

Once they sit down far from the glare of cameras and microphones, the friend will have to ask Charlie Sheen, “What are you mad about?”

No matter what he says, even if he returns to his vitriol against Chuck Lorre and Chaim Levine, the listener just listens. When Charlie Sheen is done, the listener says, “Thank you, Charlie,” and asks, “What else are you mad about?”

They continue until Charlie Sheen has had a chance to say everything that’s eating away at his ability to think rationally and find peace within himself and his relationships with others.

Then the listener gives him one last chance to see if there’s anything else he’s holding back with, “If you were mad about anything else, what would it be?”

Afterward, the friend asks Charlie Sheen, “What are you sad about?” The process continues until Charlie Sheen has said it all to a listener who just listens and thanks him for getting it out.

Next comes, “What are you scared about?” If Charlie Sheen is like me and others I’ve watched do this relationship building exercise, including soldiers returning from combat, formerly homeless people, couples trying desperately to find each other again, and youngsters struggling to create safe schools and neighborhoods, there’s a good chance a lot of his fear is coming out as anger and sadness.

When he’s all done, his new best friend asks, “What are you glad about?”

Hopefully, having someone who cares about Charlie Sheen really listen to the anger, sadness, and fear he’s bottling up in more ways than one, the actor respected for his roles in Platoon, Wall Street and Spin City will remember how lucky he’s been to have the support of lots of fans, friends, and family who have cheered him on for years.

And with all that emotional intensity finding its way to the surface through a dialogue with a friend or family member who just listens without judging, interjecting, or telling Charlie Sheen what to do about his feelings, the talented actor whose brought laughter and joy to so many may find himself able to find a little more peace within himself too.