Despite saying that “Two and a Half Men” is filth, and that people should stop watching it, Angus T. Jones apparently loves his job enough to recant — and quickly. One day after the video with his statements reached the Internet, he quickly reversed course.
In a statement released Tuesday, Jones praised the executives behind “Two and a Half Men,” saying, in part, that “Chuck Lorre, Peter Roth and many others at Warner Bros. and CBS are responsible for what has been one of the most significant experiences in my life to date. I thank them for the opportunity they have given and continue to give me and the help and guidance I have and expect to continue to receive from them.”
He didn’t mention that he also thanked them for the over $300,000 an episode he gets, according to recent reports. He did continue though, saying: “I apologize if my remarks reflect me showing indifference to and disrespect of my colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity of which I have been blessed. I never intended that.”
Jones’ full statement was:
I have been the subject of much discussion, speculation and commentary over the past 24 hours.
While I cannot address everything that has been said or right every misstatement or misunderstanding, there is one thing I want to make clear. Without qualification, I am grateful to and have the highest regard and respect for all of the wonderful people on Two and Half Men with whom I have worked and over the past ten years who have become an extension of my family.
Chuck Lorre, Peter Roth and many others at Warner Bros. and CBS are responsible for what has been one of the most significant experiences in my life to date. I thank them for the opportunity they have given and continue to give me and the help and guidance I have and expect to continue to receive from them.
I also want all of the crew and cast on our show to know how much I personally care for them and appreciate their support, guidance and love over the years. I grew up around them and know that the time they spent with me was in many instances more than with their own families. I learned life lessons from so many of them and will never forget how much positive impact they have had on my life.
I apologize if my remarks reflect me showing indifference to and disrespect of my colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity of which I have been blessed. I never intended that.
It’s an quick change of direction for Jones, and it came on a day with multiple stories revolving around his statements.
First, Charlie Sheen, former “Two and a Half Men” star who had his own turn on the controversy stage, said: “With Angus’s Hale-Bopp-like meltdown, it is radically clear to me that the show is cursed.” Some of that curse, we assume, can be attributed to Sheen, himself.
The Hale-Bopp comment, though, is a somewhat veiled reference to the Heaven’s Gate religious cult which committed mass suicide in 1997, because the group believed that was the only way they could gain access to an alien ship that they believed was following the comet Hale-Bopp.
Although Wikipedia says that Jones is a Seventh-day Adventist, the church had some quick explaining to do Tuesday. Although it confirmed that Angus decided to become a member of its Los Angeles congregation back in June, the church wanted to emphasize that it was not in any way associated with the actor’s anti-“Two and a Half Men” video rant.
The church’s statement said: “These comments were of a personal nature, reflecting his views after having undergone changes during his spiritual journey.”
Those changes, the church said, have to do with Christopher Hudson, who has previously believes that Jay-Z’s “Blueprint” albums reveal a Satanic plot and are “markers of his progression as a Freemason;” that Beyonce is leading people away from Christ and toward accepting “all men of homosexual practices;” that Obama’s healthcare plan is a “carbon copy” of the healthcare policies of Hitler; and that a gas crisis could lead to cannibalism.
[Note: if Obamacare is a carbon copy of Hitler’s health care policies, then so would be Romneycare. In either case, we say, huh?]
The Seventh-day Adventist Church added: “We are unable to offer information because Forerunner Chronicles is not a ministry operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its host is not a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.”
Finally, Chuck Lorre, creator and executive producer took to using a vanity card to address the Jones issue. You might recall he often used them during his battles with Sheen. Vanity cards are cards used at the end of a show. At the end of another show of his, “Mike and Molly,” Lorre showed the following text on a vanity card:
I’ve been told that if you change your mind, you change the world – or at least the way you experience it. Let’s take a moment to examine that. The presumption is, if you thought the world was a hostile, ugly place filled with awful people doing awful things, that is what you’d see. Your mind would naturally seek out confirmation for its preconceived ideas (e.g., if you’re intent on buying a red car, as you go about your day you’ll see lots of red cars).
If, however, you were able to sincerely change your mind and see that we are all God in drag, that we are the conscious aspects of a perfect universe which had to create us so we could bear witness and stand in awe before its loving magnificence, then that is the soul-shaking reality you’d be greeted with each and every moment of each and every day.
In other words, it is entirely our choice as to what kind of world we live in. With a simple decision, we can suffer in the darkness or play in the light. We can be angry, frightened and enslaved, or loving, joyous and free … I know. It’s a toughie.
With Jones’ quick backpedaling, there’s a good chance he will keep his cushy job. That is, of course, if he doesn’t continue with controversial behavior, and follow his former co-star Charlie Sheen into the ex-“Two and a Half Men” category.
