Chuck Lorre Talks About Charlie Sheen’s Cocaine Addiction
Chuck Lorre is a producer and the person who famously fired Charlie Sheen from his starring role on the sitcom “Two and a Half Men.”
Charlie Sheen himself certainly had more than a little bit to say about the incident and spoke to every possible media outlet about how and why he was fired, calling out Lorre personally, and demanding his job back. Lorre’s response? Pretty much nothing until a recent interview. In that interview, he revealed the motivation for letting Charlie Sheen go: the actor’s ongoing cocaine addiction.
Lorre said that he was concerned that if something drastic didn’t change in Sheen’s life, he would die as a result of an untreated cocaine addiction – or that someone else would as a result of his negligence.
Lorre says that he and others in programming at Warner Bros and CBS “chose to make a moral decision as opposed to a financial one. This was not a game. This was drug addiction writ large. This was big-time cocaine, and in his own words, an ‘epic drug run’ that could have ended with either his death or someone else’s.”
This came after weeks Sheen partied for weeks on end, a failed attempt at rehab, and more than a few public tirades against Lorre and other producers of the exceedingly popular sitcom. Lorre reported that he and others had tried to help Sheen by intervening but were unable to convince him to slow down.
Says Lorre: “I was so afraid my friend was going to die. When we would shoot a show on a Friday night, there was always that ‘I’ll see you Monday. I hope.’ The holidays were the worst, because those long stretches of time were the ones we feared the most.
“I didn’t want to be writing a sitcom while my friend died. Or worse, hurt someone else. We couldn’t be complacent. There was a tragedy unfolding right in front of us. There was violence and blackouts. On a certain level, if you’re looking the other way, you’re responsible.
“You couldn’t do that much cocaine and work. It was falling apart. It was heartbreaking to be around here then.”
Making tough decisions when a loved one or close friend is fighting an addiction can feel like you are kicking someone when they are down – taking away their job, their marriage, or their family when it is clear that they are not making good decisions for themselves. Bold moves, however, can save lives.
Is drug rehab that right bold move for you or someone you care about? Contact us today at Michael’s House to learn more about your options for addiction treatment.
