Stop The Presses, The Longtime Feud Between Charlie Sheen And Chuck Lorre Has Ended: 'It Was Too Painful'

Charlie Sheen’s exit from Two and a Half Men put a sour taste in many people's mouths. After he entered a rehab program in 2011 for substance abuse, he made some crude remarks about creator Chuck Lorre and co-star Jon Cryer. Soon after, Warner Bros. fired him, and former CBS head honcho Nina Tassler turned things around when Ashton Kutcher joined the show. Sheen and Lorre had a major falling out. Earlier this year, however, the two were announced to be working on a new show together, and now it seems their feud has finally come to an end. 

Sheen and Lorre are reuniting for the new Max comedy series Bookie. While Sebastian Maniscalco is portraying the Los Angeles sports betting bookie, he does come across some pretty big stars, including Sheen. Now, Lorre has told Variety that when it came to casting the show, he only had one person in mind. However, it seemed like it was going to be tricky, considering he and Sheen hadn’t talked in over a decade:

It should be Charlie. I remember Charlie was very much engaged in sports betting, and he would tell me stories about it all the time. You know, when things were good.

Even though Chuck Lorre says “it was too painful” to watch reruns of Two and a Half Men following Charlie Sheen’s departure, a lot has changed over the last 10 years. He looks back at his time working with the actor on the CBS sitcom as nothing but good memories. Lorre noted he loved working with Sheen on Two and a Half Men, and he had a good time for the most part. Now, with all of the time that has passed, both of them were evidently ready to move past their squabble:

I was nervous, but almost as soon as we started talking, I remembered, we were friends once. And that friendship just suddenly seemed to be there again. I don’t want to be too mawkish about it, but it was healing. And he was also totally game to make fun of himself. When he came to the table read of that episode, I walked up, and we hugged. It was just great.

A lot can change in a decade. Even though the fallout between Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen was pretty big, it sounds like the two have gotten over it and are better for it. It was a pretty big surprise when their partnership was announced for Bookie, and of course, it wasn’t as easy as one would hope. However, the fact that both of them were ready to move on proves they have learned a lot.

Since the feud is over, could fans look forward to a potential Two and a Half Men reunion? Melanie Lynskey shared her thoughts on a possible reunion, noting that she has been in touch with Sheen over the years. She mentioned how much fun she had on Two and a Half Men, and she said she would be down to do a guest spot on Bookie if given the chance. Maybe there could be a full-blown reunion, a la Friends or Fresh Prince, in the future. 

For now, there will still be one Two and a Half Men reunion that will happen, and that’s through Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen's collaboration on this new Max comedy. Bookie is set to premiere on the 2023 TV schedule on November 30, and it will be available through a Max subscription. So fans will want to sign up to see this long-awaited reunion happen.

Megan Behnke
Freelance TV News Writer

Passionate writer. Obsessed with anything and everything entertainment, specifically movies and television. Can get easily attached to fictional characters.