Charlie Sheen says he has been celibate for nearly a decade and details decades of substance abuse, sexual escapades and family rifts in a new memoir and an accompanying Netflix documentary.
In excerpts and interviews tied to The Book of Sheen and the film aka Charlie Sheen, the actor recounts dramatic moments from his life, including a claim that he was born apparently lifeless and revived, losing his virginity at 15 to a Las Vegas sex worker and a near-fatal cocaine overdose in 1998 that led to court-ordered rehabilitation. Sheen also describes being diagnosed with HIV in 2011 and says the diagnosis coincided with a two-year period of heavy drinking and drug use.
Sheen, who rose to prominence in the 1980s with roles in Platoon, Wall Street and Major League, told Page Six he is eight years sober and has not had a girlfriend since his recovery, describing a prolonged break from sexual relationships as “a needed break” rather than a permanent closure to future companionship. He said his HIV is well managed and that he marked his 60th birthday this month with a quiet family lunch and a spa outing with one of his sons.
The Netflix documentary, which premiered this week, includes commentary from friends and former co-stars. Jon Cryer, who starred alongside Sheen on Two and a Half Men, said he had “trepidation” about participating in the film and warned of a recurring pattern in Sheen’s life in which the actor would “mess up terribly,” recover and then relapse. Sheen said he found Cryer’s remarks “incredibly insightful,” and reflected on the cost of his choices.
The 2011 period was pivotal in Sheen’s public life. After the actor checked into rehab, his relationship with CBS and series creator Chuck Lorre deteriorated amid a string of volatile interviews and proclamations that included references to “tiger blood.” The network ultimately fired Sheen, bringing an end to his run on the sitcom.
Sheen’s memoir and the documentary outline a history of substance use that progressed from marijuana to cocaine and crack, and included multiple stints in rehabilitation. He writes that some film choices in his career were made simply to fund his drug habit, and he acknowledges responsibility for his decisions. "One of the running themes in the book is that it is really all about choices," Sheen writes, according to excerpts.
He also discusses the death of his friend Matthew Perry, saying he never used ketamine, the drug implicated in Perry’s fatal overdose in October 2023. Sheen described a bond with Perry and said he had attended a support group Perry hosted several times.
Families and relationships figure prominently in Sheen’s new accounts. He writes respectfully of his former partners, including ex-wives Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller, and said Richards appears in the documentary and attended the premiere. He said he has not spoken to his daughter Sami in about a year after a dispute over her OnlyFans career and expressed hope that lines of communication could eventually reopen.
Sheen is the father of five children and a grandfather. He said caregiving demands and his choice to remain celibate have limited his dating, but he is open to companionship in the future. He also said he has been reading scripts and material he described as the best he had read in two decades, signaling a possible interest in returning to work.
The Book of Sheen is scheduled for release Tuesday and the Netflix documentary premiered this week. In both projects, Sheen frames his story as one of choices and recovery, saying he does not want to present himself as a victim but rather as someone who hopes to find his way "back home."