A few days ago a video went viral in which Angus Jones of the sitcom Two and a Half Men called the show "filth" and urged people not to watch it.
Then there was a day where neither he nor the show's producers could really be reached for comment.
I said to myself, "Desperate, back-stage damage control discussions."
Now Angus Jones has come out with a kinda, sorta apology.
That didn't take long.
Here's the story . . .
Who Angus Jones Is
Angus Jones is a nineteen year old man who is making the difficult transition from being a child star to being a mature adult.
This process does not have a high success rate, and it often involves a painful wrench and a career change. Very few child stars are able to transition into being successful non-child actors/actresses.
So Angus is going through a particularly difficult time of life, made more difficult by the pressures of fame and money.
In regard to money, he's reportedly been the highest paid child star working in Hollywood, pulling in $350,000 per episode of Two and a Half Men.
The stars as the "half man" character of the title, a reference to the fact that when he started on the program he was only eight or nine years old, so he's been doing this show for most of his life.
This is also the show that Charlie Sheen got fired from after his bizarre public meltdown a while ago.
Testimonial Video
Jones reports that he has been going to a Christian school since he was small, and in recent times he has become affiliated with a Seventh-Day Adventist church, which he says has helped him grow closer to God.
In fact, he produced a two-part testimonial video which is available on YouTube.
In the video, he says:
"I'm on 'Two and a Half Men' and I don't want to be on it,” he said. "If you watch 'Two and a Half Men,' please stop watching it and filling your head with filth. People say it’s just entertainment. Do some research on the effects of television and your brain, and I promise you you’ll have a decision to make when it comes to television, especially with what you watch."
Future Prospects?
Jones is currently under contract for another year with the show. He is not expected back on the set until 2013, though, because his character does not appear in the next few episodes.
It will be interesting to see whether he does return to the show and, if he does, whether he will contract--or be offered a contract--for further work.
Publicly calling your show "filth" and encouraging people not to watch it is not smiled upon in Hollywood, and I'd be curious to see whether he contract contains provisions that would prohibit precisely this kind of behavior.
It is entirely predictable that the producers of the show, Jones's agent, and other around him would try to regroup and try to find a face-saving (and possibly lawsuit-avoiding) way of getting out of the situation, and so . . .
An Apology . . . Sort Of
Jones has now released a statement, in which he says:
"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."
Or, as Washington Post blogger Emily Yahr puts it:
1)Show is filth
2)No lack of respect to the show intended.
What to Make of This?
It's a mixed bag.
On the one hand, we have a young man courageously speaking his mind, as young men are wont to do, even to their detriment.
So that's admirable.
On the other hand, we have a quick backtrack when the reality of what has happened become apparent.
So that's understandable, if not admirable.
On yet another hand, he doesn't backpedal on the filth remark, so he doesn't seem to betray his fundamental conviction.
So that's a point in his favor.
What's going to happen now?
Hard to say.
Jones might not return to the show (though I'm guessing, at this point, that he will).
The show may not get picked up for another season.
If it does, Jones might not be part of it, either because he takes the opportunity to leave when his contract expires or because the show runners decide they don't want him around any more.
Cheers and Prayers
Many people cheered when Jones has the chutzpah to call his own show "filth."
I've never seen the show, but I've seen enough TV comedy in the past that I have no reason to doubt that characterization.
In a private email discussion, one person suggested not making too much out of Jones's denunciation of the program, for he is young and who knows where he will be in the future.
I think that's wise. There is a reason that St. Paul says recent converts should not be put in leadership positions (1 Tim. 3:6).
We've already seen a partial backtrack, and Jones is going through a very difficult and stress-filled transition from child star to (hopefully) mature adult.
I would say, let's take this for what it is: We can appreciate the stand Jones took, but we should recognize the other aspects of the situation, too.
In particular, in view of the difficult transition Jones is facing, I suggest that we keep him in prayer.
What Now?
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In fact, the very first thing you’ll get if you sign up is information about what Pope Benedict says about the book of Revelation.
He has a lot of interesting things to say!
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In the meantime, what do you think?
Comments
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Good for him.He’s probably correct in his assessment, but he will likely be profitting in residuals from reruns for years to come even if he leaves the show.
I have never watched the show, but some family members do so I have caught snippets here and there, plus of course there’s ads. It is absolutely filth. A lot of TV is filthy, but Two and a Half Men is filthier than most primetime network TV (and that is saying something). I have often wondered about what is done, if anything, to shield child actors on shows with this much adult content. I know camera trickery and other devices can be employed, but I also suspect that Hollywood doesn’t care much about the innocence of children, whether viewing or acting.
I have seen piece of the show here and there and always insist that it be changed because it really is filth. I always feel bad when children are put in those positions of making dirty jokes or being around to be a part of it while acting in an adult centered medium. It’s really sad. I have not seen his interview. You are quite right on all points, Jimmy. I would add that the “Seventh Day Adventist” preacher/friend whatever wasn’t acting wisely if that person was an adult. This poor guy needs a real friend who has no self-interest in the relationship who can say, “I don’t think this is the way to do it, bro” or something that helps him think through these things and approach them in the best way possible, many young people do not have this but someone in such a position is more in need with the power of media they wield. Sweet kid. Good idea, will pray.
Oh, it’s filth all right. The big thing you’ve forgotten is that hte kid is under contract, and it’s probably in his contract that he not say anything bad about the show or anyone on it. That would explain the “backtrack” pretty handily. You gotta wonder about what kind of people want their kids to be “stars” so much that they sign them up for this sort of thing. He can’t help that he was on it at age 8! Your points about the problems of being a child star are very good.
Well I have seen the show, though not recently. When we had kids that show got banned rather quickly! It is filth, and I did often wonder about Angus’ parents allowing him to be a part of that, and making some of the grossest jokes on the show himself. Either way, he is a young man who is seeking, and the “Christian” service that took and posted those videos of him took advantage of him. Someone would have known it could be career suicide for the poor kid. They let him hang himself. Sad, very sad.
Holly Wood should clean up their act….will they? I doubt it… believe it or not ....holly wood has had mind control over the world since the first films were made…they make you think if you don’t look, smell, dress, fart a certain way your a dweeb ....
I would alter Washington Post blogger Emily Yahr’s comment to read
1)Show is filth
2)No lack of respect to the show’s cast, crew, or staff intended.
Nothing in his statement actually contradicts anything he says in the video. The statement is a carefully crafted diplomatic clarification that he is not condemning anyone on the show. The net of it all, video and statement, is a kind of “hate the sin, love the sinner(s).” So, I don’t see his statement as a backtrack,even a partial one.
Most of the shows on primetime TV are pure filth. Since we have cable I love to watch HGTV, Food Network sometimes I peek in on EWTN and TMC. Plus I love PBS which has been showing the really funny sitcoms like I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke and The Mary Tyler Moore Show with no stupid commercials. Those were the good ole days.
I follow the entertainment business and have often been sad that this young man has been subjected to the filth of “Two a Half Men” for so many years. I was relieved to see he rejects it. But I’m also troubled by the church he’s now a part of. Google “Forerunner Chronicles” and you will get a taste of the virulent anti-Catholicism of Seventh-Day Adventists. We should pray for him and all members of that church!
I have been concerned from the start of that show, how Angus T Jones would turn out, being exposed to all those filthy, horrible ‘storylines’ from so young an age. So when this came out, I was relieved to see that he knows how terrible it is.
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Here’s the thing… I watch the show. I’m single and don’t have kids, and trust when I say if I had kids there is NO WAY it would be on in my house.
Yes, the show is disgusting, and sadly there’s not much better to choose from when you don’t have cable or satellite. I sort of tell myself, that I can watch it as a reminder of what kind of men to avoid. In fact, I’m shocked at some of girlfriends, who still fall for some of the same, pathetic antics as the men on this show.
If I didn’t have the good sense that I do, I wouldn’t have the sense to be disgusted.
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At any rate, I’m just glad to see that this young guy knows what he has been subjected to.
I sort of hope they make it part of the storyline… he comes back from the Army (that’s part of the current plot) and realizes that the “men” around him are weak and pathetic and calls them out on their behavior.
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The worst part of that show is that they can get actresses to portray women with no self-value.
Tammy, you watch the show? Why is it so bad for “kids” and not for you? “Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Are you “entertained” by the show? What’s up? This Angus gets paid for being part of the filth. You watch it for free.
The show IS complete filth. My parents watch it as a “comedy” thing but everytime I see it I get sick. Especially the closer I have grown to God. The show promotes all kinds of forms of perversion. Orgies, threesomes, sodomy, promiscuity, rape (Charlie said he continued to have sex with a woman who was unconcious in an episode if I remember correctly) and an uncare for any sexual transmitted diseases going around. Teens watch this show and many young adults. It encorages them to take part in this kind of behavior and think there is nothing wrong with it. Its trash TV that is helping to corrupt our society. Jerry Springer, Jersey Shore, Two and a Half Men…the list goes on and on. Oneday God will throw it all in the garbage where it belongs.
I can’t help but agree with people who say not to watch the show (I have never seen it myself, though). There are actually many good TV shows available legally outside of cable—on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and so on. For example, when PBS showed Season 2 of Downton Abbey last winter they also had the episodes on the PBS website. Doctor Who, the Star Trek series, Downton Abbey, tons of excellent BBC miniseries, Get Smart, I Love Lucy, Twilight Zone, Monk, Jeeves and Wooster, Sherlock, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (with Jeremy Brett), and so many other good shows (even if some of them have inappropriate episodes sometimes) are widely available, so why watch a show that encourages nothing but perversion?
I watched it for the first season or two. It was raunchy even then, but it progressively got cruder and cruder until I couldn’t take it any more. Chuck Lorre has taken H. L. Mencken’s words about nobody going broke underestimating the taste of the American public to heart. “Two Broke Girls” and “Mike & Molly” are headed down the same path to ever smuttier humor.
Word has it that the show will be renamed Three Half Men.
any Catholic who watches this show and does not stop before their own death will certainly go to hell.
Posted by Gornalicious on Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 4:01 PM (EDT):any Catholic who watches this show and does not stop before their own death will certainly go to hell.”
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Thanks! I’m safe.Now if I could just stop watching Fox News & Duck Dynasty…
:)
I support the young man’s initial statement! It gives a glimmer of hope to those of us that are truly striving to walk the ‘narrow’ path which is not easy. One can hope that 2 things will happen: 1) An awareness that one cannot serve both God and mammon 2) That whoever is in charge perusing any future scripts, one will HIGHLY consider his moral right! You will remain in my prayers young man. God Bless
It’s filth alright. I used to watch it before coming to the church. I finally just got sick of how twisted it had become from when it first started. I now have an aversion to shows like this. I will keep Angus in my prayers.
@ Kelso,
I watch it because I am an adult with formed reason and varied experience. I know right from wrong. I will not be influenced by the portrayal as a child who might see it and, without the benefit of experience, assume that this is how adults behave.
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When I was a child, my brother and I would cover our eyes when CHiPs showed young women in scanty bikinis or if people kissed on any show. (and then say, “tell us when we can look!” Mom and Dad would smile knowing that they had instilled in us the knowledge of what was appropriate for our own young eyes.
I actually think there is something to be said for witnessing things that aren’t pure and holy so that you know how to recognize them!
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Like I said, I have friends (in their late 30s, early 40s) who fall for the type of antics the “half men” resort to. Considering the details one of my friends just shared with me, I was shocked that she didn’t know what he was trying to do from the beginning - and she was sucked into sleeping with him way too soon. I’m kind of standing their thinking… how did you not know that was what he was trying to do? Why did you trust him?
I guess I think this show provides me with a healthy skepticism in a world that is really really hard to date in.
Has anyone but me noticed that TWO AND A HALF MEN is really a morality play disguised as a sitcom? Morality plays cannot be performed without showing immorality, and all of the characters are grossly immoral. I don’t mean only sexually. Each demonstrates a major sin. Alan is manipulative. Alan’s mother is a sorceress; his first wife left him for another woman. Jake is slothful and stupid. Walden is imprudent. Charlie was an addict. All are monsters of selfishness. They will all lie themselves black in the face. Nevertheless, their vices sooner or later backfire on them, or seriously hurt those close to them whom they pretend to love.
Think about it.
The comments of Tammy and Dixibehr made the most sense to me.
The show is filth and getting filthier. I’ve often wondered what would happen with Angus. Hopefully he has a Guardian Angel watching over him. The idea of praying for him is a great one. Let’s do it. By the way, this show has had jokes about the sexual abuse of children on it. That’s when I quit watching. As a survivor, I don’t think this is a topic to joke about. I hope and pray this show, and other shows following in its footsteps, lose their popularity and are taken off the air.
The “pastor” in the video is a conspiracy theorist loon who is not any kind of representative of authentic Christian faith. Christopher Hudson is going to be a far more dangerous influence on this kid than his dumb TV show ever could’ve been.
http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/191622/the-pastor-who-brainwashed-angus-t-jones-is-a-craaaaaaaaaaazy-illuminati-conspiracy-theorist/
I think the producers of the show should keep him on. He could be the key to keeping the show on the air. If they make his character into a born again Christain and have him going against the life styles of the other characters, it would bring a whole new audience and maybe they could have the whole family eventually come to Christ. I think I am just wishful thinking because Hollywood doesn’t do morals anymore.
This is one of the filthier sitcoms on prime time television. In the first new episode to air since the comments went viral, Angus’s own character went on and on about how awesome it is to have an STD(ironic and actually kinda funny when compared to his recent comments, which it would have neither without). Young Mr. Jones should probably leave the show as soon as he can if he really feels that way about it. The producers could always just throw his character in front of a train like they did with Charlie Sheen’s character, but then this “comedy” might be more of a tragedy. Is this a Marality play? Is there supposed to be some moral come-uppens at some point? Perhaps(as Mark Shea might say) we shouldn’t wait for God to strike them from lightning or whatever. Perhaps their selfish frustrating lives is a punishment in itself. The characters now seem to at least be trying to better themselves somewhat, or at least realizing that the “party” won’t last forever. Even Sheen’s character might have reached that point if he hadn’t jumped the shark in real life.
This show should probably end soon anyway.
So we’ve made some progress! See, I thought that the “filth” label was an advertising asset, by Hollywood standards, but you’re telling me that it’s an irritant. Could this be a major cultural revolution in the making?
We should be in praise of the Lord that this young man has come to Christ and is able to make a righteous judgment concerning what is “filth.” Jeremiah did so in the OT as well. Kirk Cameron deserves recognition for his stand for Christ in Hollywood as well despite the criticisms leveled by Whoopie and Joy on The View.
I read his comments as this:
1) The show is filth don’t watch it.
2) I did not mean disrespect to my co-workers, who I care for.
3) But the show is still filth, don’t watch it.
Hmmm, maybe he didn’t want to offend his co-workers.
Two and a Half Men is a shock “comedy.” It’s meant to critize the materialism of society (the myth that the “Charlies” of this world live the “good life,” while the “Alans” of the world are loosers).
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Most people don’t get the message.
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