NEWSJon Cryer Exposes Shocking Pay Gap With Charlie Sheen on 'Two and a Half Men'
Jon Cryer revealed his 'Two and a Half Men' pay was far below Charlie Sheen’s, sharing the story in Netflix's 'aka Charlie Sheen.'
Sept. 20 2025, Published 8:33 a.m. ET
Jon Cryer revealed he earned significantly less than his Two and a Half Men costar Charlie Sheen, with the pay discrepancy coming into focus following the release of the Netflix documentary aka Charlie Sheen.
During Sheen's final year on the hit sitcom, he reportedly made close to $2 million per episode. In stark contrast, Cryer's earnings hovered around two-thirds less until Sheen's departure led to a pay bump for Cryer, who then earned $620,000 per episode.
Jon Cryer earned roughly a third of Charlie Sheen’s salary.
In the documentary, Cryer discussed the troubling dynamics behind Sheen's salary negotiations, especially as Sheen struggled with addiction.
"[Sheen's] negotiations went off the charts because his life was falling apart," Cryer stated. He didn't hold back when comparing Sheen's antics to an infamous dictator.
Jon Cryer compared Charlie Sheen’s negotiation tactics to a dictator demanding attention and money.
"The dictator of North Korea was a guy named Kim Jong-Il," he explained. "He acted crazy all the time and thus got enormous amounts of aid from countries who were so scared of him that they would shovel money at him. Well, that's what happened here."
Cryer noted, "Me, whose life was pretty good at that time, I got a third of that."
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After Charlie Sheen left, Jon Cryer’s salary increased to $620,000 per episode.
CBS felt the pressure to secure Sheen's contract, having already "pre-sold a couple extra seasons of the show." Ultimately, in 2011, Sheen was fired due to his erratic behavior, which included public tirades against show creator Chuck Lorre and complaints of being underpaid.
After Sheen's turbulent exit, Ashton Kutcher stepped in as his replacement, carrying the show for four more seasons.
Following Kutcher's arrival, Cryer's salary increased to $620,000, while Kutcher earned $700,000 per episode.
The documentary also featured insights from Sheen's childhood friend Sean Penn and ex-wives Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller. Richards shared a revealing story about a visit to Sheen's home, where she found herself making sandwiches for him and his hookers in the presence of Cryer.
The documentary also covered Charlie Sheen’s struggles with addiction and his HIV diagnosis.
"I'm making sandwiches and Jon was super nervous and he goes, 'What are you doing?' I go, 'Well, he hasn't eaten and I'm making sandwiches,'" Richards recounted.
She added, "And then you see two or three hookers come downstairs. And I remember Jon asking me, 'Are you making them sandwiches?' and I go, 'Well, yeah. What am I gonna say? Sorry, because of what you do for a living, you don't get one of my white trash mayo, mustard, turkey, cheese, lettuce sandwiches?'"
In the documentary, Sheen also opened up about his long battle with drug addiction and, for the first time, discussed his HIV diagnosis along with his experiences with male partners while using substances.
