The Book of Sheen: A Memoir

Following his overdose, Sheen is taken to the hospital. He drifts in and out while the staff assesses him. Media arrive after paramedics alert them, prompting “crazy rumors” that he has overdosed. His father holds a briefing to quell speculation. A hospital crisis team urges immediate rehab; he refuses after confirming he had neither a heart attack nor a stroke. He plans to drink at home before any court action on Monday. He leaves with Zip, but the planned binge only heightens cravings, especially as he cannot reach acquaintances.

That night, he goes to Promises Malibu to appear compliant. He is placed in a spare room and sedated. He then walks in pajamas down to the highway with a staff member. His longtime driver, Dylan, picks him up, but police stop the car after Promises reports him missing.

They transport him to a psychiatric unit, but he persuades the attending psychiatrist to release him. He is driven to his condo, and Zip and a companion, April, join him. He has drugs and alcohol on hand; April drinks but avoids drugs. During the night, Sheen climbs onto a bathroom counter to adjust a speaker wire, slips with a knife, and cuts his finger severely. To avoid an involuntary hold at intake, they go to a nearby emergency room, where a “smooth ER doc” repairs the injury (208).

Sheen returns to his condo, falls asleep, and is awakened by Zip, who reports that US Marshals have “a warrant for [his] arrest” (209). April has already left, and Zip has spoken with counsel, who advises lying low while arranging a surrender. A request to shelter with neighbors is declined, so they prepare to leave via the service elevator and garage.

While packing in a dark room, Sheen trips on a concealed array of high heels he had placed as a crude “booby trap” inspired by his Platoon research, intended to slow intruders near a service entrance. Zip drives their car up from the underground garage as an unmarked sedan of Marshals arrives at the building’s entrance. By keeping a low profile and merging calmly into traffic, they avoid detection and exit the property without confrontation. Now, Sheen says, he is “officially on the lam” (211).

Sheen and Zip drive side streets for hours while the lawyer secures a “surrender” time at the Malibu Courthouse for nine o’clock in the morning. They need a place to stay and reach Bill, who is house-sitting and agrees to take them in. Sheen finds the bar and drinks; Bill joins, despite being on Antabuse, and becomes ill.

Sheen calls Natasha, an acquaintance from earlier years, who arrives with drugs. They spend the night together behind a closed door while Zip holds calls. In the morning, Sheen rides with Zip toward Malibu, replaying the night and resting briefly in the car. With time to spare, they stop at the home of Saul “Slash” Hudson, and Charlie floats the idea of remaining on the run. Slash responds that he urgently needs treatment or he is “going to die” (214), and Mira Sorvino, also at the house, reinforces that message. They stress that the situation is serious, and the legal system is not playing games. Their interventions push Sheen past denial. He decides to honor the plan, leaves their house, and heads to court with Zip to surrender.

In court, Sheen is immediately sent to a Marina del Rey rehab. The facility is shabby, and he begins detox while wearing an ankle monitor. Weighing 141 pounds, he focuses on food and sleep. Zip delivers personal items that staff search in his presence. Among them is a detachable doll hand, a relic from an old sex toy.

Conflicts arise between the court’s mandates and the electronic boundary, which prevents Sheen from attending required groups and meetings. On day six, a new patient, Jeff, arrives, and by day 12, both men are off detox meds. Using a hidden flip phone, Jeff coordinates with Zip to toss a bag over the wall containing drugs and paraphernalia.

Jeff smokes first and is visibly affected. Sheen takes one hit as staff activity surges, but he is not caught. The next morning, the wing faces questioning and testing. Jeff does not implicate him. Sheen instead confesses privately to administrators, offers a bribe that is refused, and surrenders a small stash hidden in his fedora. A muddy bag recovered outside contains antibiotics and miscellaneous pills, prompting concern but not charges.

The medical director expels Sheen, and he is transferred back to Promises under a clinical pretext protected by privacy law. That day, he watches a basketball game, placing a large bet, and resolves to start making decisive changes. This, Sheen says, is a “real moment” for him.

Sheen is in Promises for nine months, six inpatient and three outpatient. He follows stricter rules than at the previous facility, earns removal of an ankle monitor after a month, and uses day passes for low-key trips to hit baseballs with friends, which becomes his most effective therapy. He describes a shift from chasing spectacle to cultivating quiet and structure.

One year after recommitting to sobriety, he films Rated X in Toronto with his brother Emilio Estevez, portraying Artie Mitchell. Scenes require staged drug and alcohol use, but he doesn’t relapse. He notes an earlier two-day appearance in Being John Malkovich and describes the “monk’s fringe” hair work by makeup artist David LeRoy Anderson.

Determined to keep focus, Sheen avoids romantic distractions during the shoot, experiments with slightly incorrect prescription glasses to portray intoxication, and earns Emilio’s praise for the performance. After the final day, he hires a sex worker, but he finds the experience awkward and decides to stop paying for sex. Her stinging comment also pushes him to get liposuction and adopt a diet, leading to significant weight loss before early positive talk on Rated X.

A meeting with producer Gary David Goldberg leads to Sheen’s involvement in a pilot, Sugar Hill, that is not picked up. Goldberg then asks Sheen to replace Michael J. Fox on Spin City, and Sheen accepts, learning that Fox had earlier removed Goldberg from the show.

Sheen replaces Michael J. Fox on Spin City, and the hostile press predicts failure and blames him for the production’s move from New York to Los Angeles. Production schedules his first filmed episodes as numbers two and three, with episode three serving as his de facto pilot. Reading that script triggers anxiety about his lifelong stutter, a silent blocking on a specific “fear word.” After experimenting briefly with a fluency device, Sheen chooses instead to disclose the issue to showrunner Gary David Goldberg and director Ted Wass.

At the table read with his “generous costars” Heather Locklear, Alan Ruck, Richard Kind, Michael Boatman, Barry Bostwick, and Lana Parrilla, Goldberg quietly adjusts a few lines and word choices. The read proceeds without incident, and Sheen later informs the writers about his stutter as well, feeling relief and renewed control. He notes joining a cast with nearly 100 episodes together and credits their support for a smooth transition, highlighting Boatman’s help, his prior rapport with Ruck, Locklear’s mix of nerves and comic spark, and Bostwick’s steady professionalism. Advice from Bostwick about evaluating performances becomes a guiding lesson. Sheen concludes that early fears did not materialize, and his success depended on preparation, collaboration, and attention to mentors.

At a table read on September 11, 2000, the day after the Emmys, Michael J. Fox briefly returns with his award, which creates an awkward moment for Sheen. He later reframes it as motivation to earn similar recognition. In season 2, Fox reprises his role, and Sheen describes a productive collaboration shaped by Fox’s “laser comedic timing and organic instinct” (238), noting that production occasionally paused to accommodate Fox’s medication schedule and that Sheen wished those scenes had a live audience.

Sheen first meets Denise Richards on the indie film Good Advice, and they reconnect at a Spin City event months later. On September 11, 2001, Sheen watches the attack from his Los Angeles condo, contacts director Ted Wass, and leaves his building amid uncertainty. The cast gathers the next day to support one another, while the production removes the Twin Towers from a set backdrop. Showrunner Gary David Goldberg urges the company to continue and offer comedic relief for a grieving New York, allowing humor to be a “message of unity” (240). Filming resumes soon after.

The cast and crew resume production immediately after September 11, 2001, sustaining on-set morale and delivering episodes on time. Denise Richards appears as his character’s love interest, and their off-screen relationship develops. Their “baseball-themed” first date is at his condo on October 4 to watch Barry Bonds tie the single-season home run record. This leads to a quick progression: an overnight stay, a trip to Hawaii, and Sheen’s proposal two months later. He frames the engagement as a sober, clear decision shaped by the shock of 9/11 and a desire for permanence. Publicly, the engagement is well-received.

Sheen wins the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series and shares a playful shout-out with hospitalized costar, Alan Ruck. As season two ends on April 30, 2002, renewal is uncertain. Sheen wants to attend the wrap party to thank colleagues and speak with Steven Spielberg, but Giorgio Armani invites Denise to Italy to design her wedding dress and his tuxedo, and so he reluctantly agrees to go. The wedding takes place at Gary David Goldberg’s home, followed by a honeymoon in Turks and Caicos. Soon after, the network cancels Spin City, leaving Sheen out of work “with two mortgages and a wife to support” (246).

Sheen recalls co-owning a restaurant named Anthony’s in Malibu in the late 1980s, where he briefly dated a woman named Brandi, who later appeared on a Penthouse cover. Years later, after Spin City is canceled, he films The Big Bounce in Hawaii. While there, he notices a well-known adult performer in a hotel gym. After hours online, he sends a brief email to confirm that it was her.

The message is forwarded through acquaintances and reaches his wife, Denise Richards, triggering an “onslaught” of accusations. Sheen learns the intermediary was Brandi, whom he sees as an unexpected link to his earlier life. Back in Los Angeles, he follows a therapist’s counsel to “know more, say less” (250). He offers a strained explanation about the email’s purpose and emphasizes that he did not cheat during his marriages, while noting activity during legal separations.

Determined to stabilize work and home, he and his manager Mark Burg mount an intensive search for a new multi-camera sitcom, converting his condo into a pitch room. After reading dozens of scripts and hearing many presentations, they find nothing suitable and agree to pivot toward films. As Burg departs, Sheen regards the month as a “big fat failure” (251) but describes the moment as the calm before a larger crisis.

After a meeting at Warner Bros., Charlie hears Chuck Lorre’s pitch and, following a script read, commits to a new television series, Two and a Half Men. Casting consolidates with Jon Cryer, Angus T. Jones, Holland Taylor, Conchata Ferrell, Marin Hinkle, and Melanie Lynskey. Sheen and Cryer quickly establish a “serendipitous, imperfect cohesion” (253). Sheen reveals his stutter to Lorre and the writers, who adjust lines as needed; his stand-in also stutters, which provides camaraderie if not a cure.

While filming Scary Movie 3 in early 2003, he learns the show has been picked up. Sheen’s daughter Sam is conceived during that time. The show debuts amid a turn toward reality TV, draws about 15 million viewers, and steadily strengthens. Sheen describes Lorre’s consistent leadership and his own focus through the first two seasons.

At home, Sheen and Denise Richards welcome Sam in March 2004, sell properties, and move to an Encino estate. Extensive renovations and growing tensions coincide with Sheen’s escalating use of Norco. He does not take pills at work, endures “full withdrawal” during tapings, and eventually quits, redirecting his impulse into sports betting.

A second planned pregnancy follows, but the marriage deteriorates. Sheen is served divorce papers three months before Lola’s birth. Post-separation housing changes, custody constraints, and legal pressures heighten stress as he juggles sobriety optics at work with private setbacks.