We all have Denise Richards to thank for Two and a Half Men!
In a new episode of Just B with Bethenny Frankel on Tuesday, the actress claimed she was the one who convinced then-husband Charlie Sheen to do the comedy series, which became a MASSIVE success! And, as it would turn out, this one little decision was a blessing AND a curse to her family!
Recalling the pivotal moment in which Charlie was deciding between two projects in the early 2000s, she said:
“He got Two and a Half Men while I was pregnant [with Sami, their first daughter]. He was nervous about starting a new TV show after Spin City got canceled. By the way, I read the script for [Two and a Half Men] and said, ‘You have to do this show.’”
While the Anger Management actor was leaning toward a different series at the time, Denise was dead-set on Two and a Half Men:
“He was going to do a different show. And I read the script for [Two and a Half Men] and I go, ‘You’re crazy for not doing this.’”
Ultimately, Hot Shots alum listened to his wife and joined the CBS series from 2003 to 2011. Eight years of any network sitcom money is going to be good, but the success of Men was beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Charlie became the highest paid actor on TV for a while, making a reported $1.8 million PER EPISODE, and there were a lot of episodes back then! It was a huge font of funds — until he was fired for making a series of controversial rants about the show’s co-creator Chuck Lorre during his infamous public meltdown.
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Looking back, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star now credits the show’s success for knocking Charlie off the straight and narrow — and ultimately for destroying her marriage! Noting that her parents “liked Charlie and were very supportive of us being married and getting married,” the Wild Things star said:
“Like I said, he was very different than what the public saw when he spiraled after all that stuff …when he was fired [from Two and a Half Men].”
Explaining why the “wheels fell off” their relationship, she shared:
“I think because the success of Two and a Half Men and the money, I think that led to him getting back into not being sober.”
Oof!
While she didn’t want to speak on her ex’s behalf, she added:
“All I know is he was no longer the person that I married and no longer sober.”
Denise ultimately filed for divorce in 2005 while she was six months pregnant with their second child, Lola. The split went from 0 to 100 in less than a commercial break:
“When I filed, basically [Charlie] went to work, I packed a suitcase and took our daughter [Sami], who is not even one, and went to the Beverly Hills Hotel. I went to file for divorce and then went to a fitting for a pilot I was doing.”
They would quickly become the talk of the town, something that “shocked” her because she didn’t expect the split to be “so public.” The reality star recalled:
“We were on the covers of tabloids for a couple of years. It was insane. That was very difficult for me. …To have the mudslinging as well, I just wanted us to shut the f**k up and go through it. …He was on the hottest show ever and they wanted to protect him.”
The divorce was messy AF and she ultimately “spent a f**king fortune on legal fees.” Though she doesn’t know the exact figures, she can give us an idea:
“I spent millions. It’s a lot.”
One thing she didn’t go after, though? Charlie’s sitcom money! She told Bethenny she “didn’t go after half of the Two and a Half Men” fortune even though she so deserved it, having talked him into it. Hitting back at the way tabloids used to call her a “gold digger,” she argued:
“I was with him during all of that. … But by the way I could have, rightfully so, and I think I would have deserved every f**king penny with what I had to deal with. The money was the last thing we dealt with. It was more about the custody [of our daughters] and all of that stuff.”
These days, the parents still don’t see eye-to-eye sometimes when it comes to co-parenting their children, such as the decision to let 19-year-old Sami start up an OnlyFans account. While Denise totally supports her daughter’s endeavors (in part because she has her on account on the NSFW platform), she keeps her distance, she claimed:
“I’ve never been on her page. Sometimes it’s weird for me to even go on my kids’ Instagram.”
That said, she’s been criticized for suggesting she and her daughter collab, so she must be somewhat aware of what the teen’s doing online! Charlie, on the other hand, was against the platform from the start. But Denise says he at least was man enough to admit he was wrong — when she started making her own Two and a Half Men money! LOLz! Denise explained:
“He changed his tune when she bought a Mercedes and moved into a house so maybe he was like, ‘maybe this ain’t so bad after all!’”
While the drama may never end with these two, it’s sure interesting to know Denise had such a big hand in sky-rocketing Charlie’s career, though! Can you imagine if he hadn’t said yes to the show?? Things would be so different! Thoughts? Let us know (below)!
[Image via Warner Bros. TV/YouTube & Denise Richards/Instagram]
