Warner Bros. Fires Charlie Sheen From 'Two and a Half Men'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Troubled television star Charlie Sheen was given the boot from his role on the hit CBS comedy "Two and a Half Men" late Monday afternoon.
In a joint statement, CBS and Warner Brothers Television said "after careful consideration" Sheen's services had been "terminated…effective immediately."
PHOTO GALLERIES: Charlie Sheen Through The Years | Charlie Sheen Taken To New York-Presbyterian
The Warner Bros. legal team sent an 11 page letter of termination to Sheen and his attorneys, saying they were entitled to terminate his employment because the actor was not physically able to do his job.
Sheen has vehemently denied the accusation. However, in the letter, Warner Bros. said "as outtakes of the filming show, Mr. Sheen had difficulty remembering his lines and hitting his marks."
Warner Bros. said it was Sheen's public admission to his partying ways and providing cocaine to friends that broke the moral clause in his contract.
Reacting to his firing, Sheen responded to the Associated Press in a text message using an expletive, and then texting "they lose, trolls." Sheen also suggested he was planning to file a "big" lawsuit over his firing.
Later Monday, Sheen also spoke with Access Hollywood calling his termination "so juvenile."
"It is the work of infants. It is the work of silly infants and if this is what it had to come to, to get me out of those silly shirts then so be it," he said.
A perturbed Sheen went even further with his comments by blasting the producers of the show, calling them "yellow cockroaches."
"They didn't even have the decency to call. I put five [billion] in their cheap suit pockets," he said. Sheen also blew off steam on his new Internet web show on Ustream TV.
Last week, Sheen took to television networks, radio stations and Twitter to throw verbal punches at CBS.
Sheen's raging tirades and erratic behavior were apparently enough for executives to declare enough was enough. His actions prompted CBS CEO Les Moonves to fire back.
RELATED: Sheen's Kids Removed From Home | CBS CEO Moonves Fires Back At Sheen | 'Two and a Half Men' Crew To Get Paid; Sheen Continues Speaking Out | Anti-Defamation League: Sheen's Comments Anti-Semitic | CBS: Sheen's Antics Lead To End Of 'Two and a Half Men' Season | Dan Patrick Talks Landing Charlie Sheen On WFAN | Porn Star Identified As Sheen's 'Mystery Woman' | Charlie Sheen Allegedly Trashed Plaza Hotel Room
"Sheen is on the air quite a bit these days. I wish he would have worked this hard to promote himself for an Emmy," Moonves said.
"It's about time. I can't understand why people are obsessed about a drug addict guy," one man told CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez.
However, some people who spoke with 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon in the West Village had some surprisingly sympathetic words for Sheen.
Podcast
1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon gets reaction to Sheen's firing in the West Village
"They knew what he was doing for years. It's not like it's something new. We probably just found out because of all the press he just got, but they knew exactly what he was doing," one man said.
"I respect Charlie Sheen. Charlie Sheen went up against the whole media and said what he felt even if it was kind of whacked out. Charlie you're still my boy," another man said.
Sheen's admitted drug use and wild parties also landed him in hot water with the network, who earlier suspended remaining episodes from this season's show. In 2010, Sheen was accused of trashing his room at the Plaza Hotel and accused of threatening to kill his porn star companion. No legal action was taken.
Other New Yorkers said they were surprised Sheen wasn't let go even sooner.
"I think it's great. I think the guy's a jerk, so I'm pretty happy about that," said one man.
"It's like getting fired for your Facebook page -- he should have gotten fired. He's unstable, there's a lot at risk and for his own benefit he should have been fired. He needs to get help. It's funny to watch, it's a total frenzy but you feel sorry for him," one woman said.
CBS said no decision has been made on the future of "Two and a Half Men."
SOUND-OFF: What do you think about Charlie Sheen getting fired and the entire media circus surrounding his public feud with CBS? Let us know in the comments section...
