When Angus T. Jones was only nine years old, he was cast on what would become one of the most popular sitcoms ever. He starred as Jake on Two and a Half Men (being a kid, he counted as the half) for 10 seasons. The young actor played the son of Jon Cryer’s character, Alan, and the nephew of Charlie Sheen’s character, Charlie.
But, while Two and a Half Men stayed on air for 12 years, it underwent some major changes starting in Season 8. First, Sheen left the show after eight years. Then, in 2013, Jones left the show after Season 10. The young sitcom star got a lot of media attention around the time that he exited the sitcom, because he didn’t have entirely positive things to say about his long-time job. Read on to find out more about the situation and to learn what Jones got up to after the show ended.
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Prior to being cast on Two and a Half Men, Jones was already a child actor. He was in the movies See Spot Run and The Rookie and an episode of ER. His tenure on Two and a Half Men lasted from 2003 to 2013, making him 19 when he left the show. He later returned for the series finale episode in 2015.
In 2012, Jones spoke out against Two and a Half Men in a video posted on YouTube in which he also talked about becoming a devout Christian, as reported by ABC News.
“Jake from Two and a Half Men means nothing,” he said. “He is a non-existent character. If you watch Two and a Half Men, please stop watching Two and a Half Men. I’m on Two and a Half Men and I don’t want to be on it.” He continued, “Please stop filling your head with filth, please.”
He then put out a statement in which he clarified that he didn’t mean anything against the people who he worked with. “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 over the past 10 years and who have become an extension of my family,” the statement read in part (via Deadline).
Two years later, Jones opened up again about why he didn’t fully endorse the show. “I was a paid hypocrite because I wasn’t OK with it and I was still doing it,” he told KHOU 11 (via ABC News). “It was making light of topics in our world that are really problems for a lot of people.”
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After Jones left Two and a Half Men, he enrolled in college at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
“I was very confident at that time,” Jones told People in 2016 of leaving the sitcom. “Going to college was something I was really, really excited about.” He added of his college experience, “I wasn’t the center of everyone’s attention, and that was nice.” At that point, Jones was on a break from school but wanted to go back to finish his degree.
“I got pretty doomsday with my thinking for a long time, but now I’m having fun and enjoying where I’m at,” the actor told People. “I no longer feel like every step I take is on a land mine.”
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Jones only appeared onscreen one more time after leaving Two and a Half Men, in the 2016 webseries Horace and Pete. Aside from acting, he has also explored other interests. In 2016, People reported that he was partnering with Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ son, Justin Combs, on an event company. “My pops was a rigger and started a[n equipment] rental company so I grew up working with my him on shows and festivals,” he said at the time. “I’m excited to get to go into the venues and talk to them about the planning of their events.”
As recently as 2020, Jones was posting music on Soundcloud that he made with other collaborators. He posted on Instagram in March 2020, “I do music now, go head and get used to it loves.” This was his most recent Instagram post.
Jones has kept pretty off the radar lately, but he was photographed recently and made headlines for looking “unrecognizable” thanks to his long beard. The Daily Mail reported that the 28-year-old was spotted getting dinner with his younger brother in Los Angeles.