Charlie Sheen has gone into rehab.
The "Two and a Half Men" star's publicist released the following statement Friday afternoon:
"Charlie Sheen has voluntarily entered an undisclosed rehabilitation center today. He is most grateful to all who have expressed their concern. Mr. Sheen asks that his privacy be respected at this time and that no additional informational will be provided."
Access Hollywood reported later in the day that a source informed them that the center Sheen has gone to is Promises in Malibu. TheWrap's attempts to contact Promises were not returned immediately.
Almost simultaneously as Sheen's representatives announced his entry into rehab, CBS and the hit sitcom's producers announced that "Two and a Half Men" has gone on a production hiatus.
"We are profoundly concerned for his health and well-being, and support his decision,” said CBS, Warner Bros. Television and executive producer Chuck Lorre in a joint statement Friday afternoon.
Sheen, who reportedly makes around $1.8 million an episode on the show, re-signed for another two seasons of "Two and a Half Men" in May, after what he himself called "two and one-half months of whirlwind speculation." The hugely successful sitcom is watched by over 14 million viewers a week on average. Bring in revenues in the hundreds of millions for the network and the producers, "Two and a Half Men" commands over $200,000 for a single 30-second ad.
The actor's decision to seek treatment Friday, was sudden but not unexpected.
This is not the first time Sheen has entered rehab. In fact, it is the third time in the past year that the actor has gone into a treatment program.
In late Febuary, as court proceedings heated up in the Christmas 2009 domestic violence incident in Aspen between Sheen and now-estranged wife Brooke Mueller, the actor went into a facility for several weeks as a “preventative measure.”
Sheen was in rehab again in August 2010, spending 30 days at Promises as part of the sentence from his guilty plea on the misdemeanor of third degree assault from the Christmas incident.
Those visits to treatment were but two twists in a dramatic year of court appearances, porn stars, a divorce filing, contract renegotiations, ear aches, and New York and Las Vegas benders for Sheen.
On Jan. 14, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler told the Television Critics Association winter press tour that she had a "high level of concern" about Sheen. "He certainly knows how we feel, he knows the level of concern that we have," Tassler said.
As TheWrap reported before, executives at CBS, along with those at Warner Bros. Television, contemplated trying to convince Sheen to enter rehab earlier this year, even considering shutting down "Two and a Half Men."
On Thursday morning, Sheen was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Sheen's publicist told TheWrap later that day, "All I know is he was having severe abdominal pains and went to the hospital."
TMZ reported that before his latest visit to hospital, Sheen had been partying with another round of porn stars, booze, and a “briefcase” full of cocaine.
Sheen left hospital late Thursday and was said to be ready to return to the set of the CBS show when filming commenced on Feb. 1.
Now, with the actor in rehab, it could be weeks or months before the lights are turned on again at "Two and a Half Men."
