Charlie Sheen Says He Was Fired by Text Message, Claims 'Two and a Half Men' Bosses Still Have to Pay Him
It's been a busy 24 hours in the world of Charlie Sheen. Since being fired by Warner Bros. yesterday for alleged "moral turpitude," Sheen's gone on the offensive. And how.He's unleashed some "Truth Torpedoes" online, he's downed a bottle of "tiger blood," wielded a machete whilst yelling "Free at last!", advertised for a "winning" intern (form an orderly line), said he was fired by text and claimed that his termination breaches the terms of his contract.
So what's going on? Why was he fired? How was he fired? And does he really have a "Michael J. Fox" clause in his contract?
All will be revealed after the jump ...
According to a letter obtained by TMZ, Warner Bros. decided to fire Sheen because he had committed a felony involving "moral turpitude." The 11-page document describes Sheen's behavior as "dangerously self-destructive" and lists a number of well-publicized incidents such as his trashing of a room at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. It also alleges that Sheen's drug habit meant that he was unreliable at work -- something that Sheen has consistently denied.
"There is ample evidence supporting Warner Bros. reasonable good faith opinion that Mr. Sheen has committed felony offenses involving moral turpitude (including but not limited to furnishing of cocaine to others as part of the self-destructive lifestyle he has described publicly) that have 'interfere[d] with his ability to fully and completely render all material services required."
For his part, Sheen told Access Hollywood how he was fired: "I got a text or something. These guys ... didn't even have the decency to call me. I put five bill[ion] in their cheap suit pockets and another half a bil' in what's-his-cheese's pockets and this is the ... respect I get?" Sheen added that he thinks his treatment has been "just deplorable and they should be ashamed of themselves!"
Sheen went on to blame his firing on his former bosses not understanding him. "I guess if you can't process a guy, or realize his value, you must terminate him." On the upside, he did say how very happy he'll be to stop wearing "those silly shirts," which are the trademark garb of his 'Two and a Half Men' character, Charlie Harper.
It's been reported that Sheen's even considering taking a page out of Conan O'Brien's playbook and taking his show on the road. RadarOnline says that he's mulling over the idea of doing a nationwide tour of live theatrical shows. In theory, it could be a great way for the actor to maintain a high profile and fanbase while he works out what to do next, career-wise.
Sheen has confirmed that he plans to move forward with potential legal action against his former bosses for breach of contract. His lawyer, Marty Singer, told The Hollywood Reporter that "We will sue. It's a matter of when. It could be this week, it could be in a little while. We're in no rush. But we will sue."
Singer said he was not surprised that Warner Bros had moved to terminate Sheen's employment, but he maintained his position that the studio is in breach of its agreement with Sheen despite the actor's erratic behavior and incendiary comments directed at 'Two and a Half Men' creator, Chuck Lorre. And Sheen says he will still be getting pay checks from Warner Bros as long as the show goes on.
Which bring us, in a roundabout fashion, to Michael J. Fox.
When Fox had to leave his hit comedy, 'Spin City,' due to health problems stemming from Parkinson's disease, the terms of his contract stipulated that he would continue to draw a salary from the series as long as it was in production, whether or not he appeared in it. His replacement on 'Spin City' was, of course, Charlie Sheen.
Sources have told TMZ that when Sheen first signed on to star in 'Two and a Half Men' his original contract had an identical clause to Fox's. So, the Sheen camp believe he has a strong case for being paid if 'Men' carries on without him. However, Warner Bros. claims that because Sheen was fired for cause, the contract is thus nullified.
CBS and Warner Bros. have not yet commented publicly on the future of 'Two and a Half Men.' Stay tuned for more updates.

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