Charlie Sheen Had Very Brutal Thoughts About His Big Bang Theory Cameo

Over the years, Charlie Sheen has had many memorable TV roles, but playing Charlie Harper on Chuck Lorre's "Two and a Half Men" is arguably one of his career-defining performances. In many ways, Charlie was the total opposite of the nerdy protagonists in Lorre's other popular comedy, "The Big Bang Theory," though the latter certainly benefited early on from the popularity of Sheen's sitcom. In fact, Sheen once had a cameo on Lorre's longest-running series, but it's not something the actor is exactly proud of.

The scene in question occurs in Season 2's "The Griffin Equivalency," where Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) briefly interacts with Sheen at the Cheesecake Factory after his friends have abandoned him. After bragging about being featured in People Magazine, a disinterested Sheen tells him to "let him know when he's on the cover." It's a lighthearted moment, but the former "Two and a Half Men" star doesn't have fond memories of it.

"I'm sorry, but 'Big Bang Theory' is a piece of s**t," Sheen told The Guardian in 2013. "I like the kids in it, but that show without us ["Two and a Half Men"] as a lead-in is... goodbye." These comments were made, of course, after the actor had been fired from his own series following a very public fallout with Lorre in 2011. "The Big Bang Theory" would ultimately prove Sheen wrong, however, airing for 12 seasons before concluding in 2019.

Even after the public tension between Sheen and Lorre, the pair have since made amends — and even started working together again. The feud began after the actor publicly trashed the "Two and a Half Men" creator, calling him all manner of names during his tirades. "I've backed off from him for a while," Sheen said about Lorre in the aforementioned interview.

The fallout lasted for over a decade, but Lorre eventually reached out to Sheen when he needed someone to play a character with gambling debts on HBO Max's "Bookie." Sheen accepted the role — which was essentially an amped-up version of himself — and the rest is history. "I was nervous, but almost as soon as we started talking, I remembered, we were friends once," Lorre recalled in a 2023 interview with Variety. "I don't want to be too mawkish about it, but it was healing. And he was also totally game to make fun of himself."

It's unknown if Sheen has more positive memories of working on "The Big Bang Theory" now that he and Lorre have seemingly reconciled. However, it's clear that both men are happy to leave all the negativity of the "Two and a Half Men" days in the past. Hopefully, this means more collaboration between them in the future.