Charlie Sheen is known for being one of Hollywood's most outrageous and controversial figures, experiencing a very publicized downward spiral after being ejected from his popular series Two and a Half Men in 2011. In September 2019, the actor appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage where he opened up about his sobriety and revealed he was currently 18 months sober.
Many people know Sheen for his film roles in Being John Malkovich, Wall Street, and Platoon, as well as playing Charlie Harper in the hit CBS sitcom. In 2011, the actor had a legendary breakdown, going on rants during several interviews and criticizing show-runners at Two and a Half Men. According to The Washington Post, one example includes his letter to TMZ directed at his bosses, saying “I gracefully ignored this folly for 177 shows … I fire back once and this contaminated little maggot can’t handle my power and can’t handle the truth. I wish him nothing but pain in his silly travels especially if they wind up in my octagon.”
Sheen was also going through struggles in his personal life. Police intervened between him and his then-wife Brooke Mueller, and a custody battle over his twin boys ensued. Sheen was also again dealing with once past issues like alcohol and substance abuse.
In 2017, Sheen appeared on the Today Show in an interview with then-host Matt Lauer and announced that he had been diagnosed HIV-positive.“After a battery of tests … they walked in the room and said, ‘Boom, here’s what’s going on,'” Sheen told Lauer, according to CNN. “It’s a hard three letters to absorb. It’s a turning point in one’s life.”
The actor claimed he didn't know how he contracted the disease, but revealed he was coming forward so he could no longer be blackmailed about his diagnoses. He also shared with Lauer that he paid people "in the millions" to keep his medical records private.
Sheen's HIV-positive disclosure resulted in the greatest number of HIV-related Google searches ever recorded in the United States. During the three weeks following his disclosure, there were 2.75 million more searches than expected that included the term HIV, and 1.25 million searches were directly relevant to public-health outcomes because they included search terms for condoms, HIV symptoms, or HIV testing.
A study found Sheen's disclosure corresponded with a 95% increase in over-the-counter at-home HIV testing kits. Authors of the study called the correlation "The Charlie Sheen Effect."
In early 2019, Sheen told People he had been sober almost 14 months citing sobriety as "the biggest change for me".
“I really focus on my health, my family and work will come next. I’m excited to be excited again,” said the father of five. (He is dad to daughters Sam, 15, and Lola, 14, with ex Denise Richards; sons Max and Bob, 10, with ex Brooke Mueller; and 34-year-old daughter, Cassandra Jade Estevez, from a previous relationship with his high school girlfriend Paula Speert.)
"About a year-and-a-half ago, it just hit me that I knew it was time to make a change,” Sheen told Jay Leno in September 2019. Sheen confirmed he hasn't had a drink since.
“And, you know, it didn’t require some crazy rehab stint or a shootout with the cops,” says Sheen, who clarifies that “it didn’t require anything super dramatic and crazy and front-page news.”