Jon Cryer revealed that he earned only one-third of Charlie Sheen's salary during their time together on the hit CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men."

Cryer explained that during Sheen's contract renegotiation amid his public struggles with addiction, he received significantly less compensation despite starring alongside Sheen for eight seasons.

The actor drew a striking comparison between Sheen's negotiation tactics and those of former North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il. "He acted crazy all the time and thus got enormous amounts of aid from countries that were so scared of him that they would shovel money at him," Cryer said.

Sheen was reportedly earning approximately $1.9 million per episode during his final season on the show, making him the highest-paid television actor at the time. This included $1.3 million in upfront payments plus roughly $600,000 in back-end syndication fees. In contrast, Cryer was earning about $620,000 per episode after Sheen's departure from the show.

Cryer revealed that CBS had "pre-sold a couple extra seasons of the show," which gave the network a strong financial incentive to "spend this astonishing amount of money on Charlie." The pre-sales arrangement meant that keeping Sheen on the show, regardless of his behavior, was crucial for the network's financial commitments.

The pay disparity happened during a particularly turbulent period for Sheen, who was publicly struggling with substance abuse and making erratic statements, including claims about having "tiger blood" and being a "warlock." Despite his personal difficulties, or perhaps because of them, Sheen's leverage in contract negotiations actually increased.

Sheen was ultimately fired from "Two and a Half Men" in March 2011 after publicly criticizing series creator Chuck Lorre and the network. Ashton Kutcher replaced him for the show's final four seasons, while Cryer remained with the series until its conclusion in 2015. The show ran for 12 seasons total, from 2003 to 2015, with Cryer appearing in every single episode.

In the documentary, Cryer acknowledged his initial hesitation about participating, noting Sheen's pattern of "hitting rock bottom and then attempting to recover." Despite the pay gap, Cryer's earnings from the long-running series contributed significantly to his estimated $70 million net worth, with reports suggesting he continues to earn approximately $6 million annually from rerun royalties.

Tags
Charlie Sheen, Two and a half men