After Charlie Sheen was fired from Two and a Half Men in 2011, he made his big comeback in June 2012, which couldn’t have been more successful. Together with co-lead actress Selma Blair (Eiskalte Engel, Hellboy) he scored points in the series Anger Management.
It was the most successful launch of a comedy series on US cable television to date, as reported by Quotameter. No wonder that After the first ten episodes, 90 more were ordered became. But then everything turned out differently because a heated argument broke out between Charlie Sheen and Selma Blair.
Charlie Sheen canceled Selma Blair via text message
Although the total of 100 episodes were fully produced and broadcast, Selma Blair is not in all of them. The actress left the series almost halfway through after 49 episodes. However, this was not entirely voluntary, as Charlie Sheen himself is said to have fired her.
But how did it even come to this? According to the US news portal TMZ, Charlie Sheen is said to have noticed shortly before Selma Blair’s termination that she was complained about his work ethic behind his back have. The whole thing was too much for the infamous actor, which is why he announced that he would leave the show if she came onto the set again.
According to an article by Deadline, Charlie Sheen, who was one of the executive producers of the series, is said to have even fired Selma Blair himself – and that “via text message”as it is called. And that, Although Selma Blair wasn’t even said to be the only actress to complain about Charlie Sheen – but at least “the loudest“. In fact, the production company Lionsgate officially announced its departure from the series shortly afterwards.
Selma Blair’s role was not recast
After Selma Blair’s hasty departure, her role was not recast; new female character written. The scripts were quickly revised to keep filming going. Selma Blair played the therapist Dr. Kate Wales, who was also the “friend with benefits” of Charlie Goodson (Charlie Sheen). Charlie Sheen portrayed a former baseball player who had difficulty controlling his aggression and later worked as an anger management trainer in his home or in a nearby prison.
The final episode of Anger Management aired just before Christmas on December 22, 2014. After the 100 planned episodes, there was no further extension. The ratings fell sharply over time as the quality probably suffered due to internal conflicts like this. This isn’t Charlie Sheen’s first behind-the-scenes controversy. Two and a Half Men also suffered greatly because of him.
Selma Blair’s career didn’t end with Anger Management
Fortunately, Selma Blair’s career did not end with Anger Management. She secured several roles in well-known films such as the novel adaptation series After Passion and After Truth. The documentary Introducing, Selma Blair, which is about her multiple sclerosis disease, was also released in 2021.
Things became quieter for Charlie Sheen, both privately and in terms of acting. Nevertheless, he can still be seen in some series and films. In 2023 he appeared in a guest role in How to Be a Bookie – the series reunites him with Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre.