The Reason Charlie Sheen Refuses To Compete On Dancing With The Stars

At the height of his career, Charlie Sheen was one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Riding high on the success of his hit show "Two and a Half Men," Sheen was once the highest-paid actor on television, earning an eye-popping $1.8 million per episode for his final season of the hit CBS sitcom and scoring a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for his seven-figure salary.

But Sheen fell hard. Following a string of bad career decisions and other wild moments, he was fired from his TV show and later claimed to be "blacklisted" in Hollywood, according to The New York Daily News. There was a time when even reality TV producers wouldn't touch him. In 2011, a "Dancing With the Stars" insider told TV Line that, despite a history of casting controversial contestants, Sheen was not on their radar. "I'm not sure we would want to encourage his behavior," the source said at the time.

Sheen ultimately rehabbed his personal life and acting career, so when "Dancing With the Stars" did come calling in 2019, the actor almost signed on the dotted line. But in the end, he walked away from the celebrity ballroom competition — and he had a good reason why.

In 2019, Charlie Sheen was nearly locked in to compete on "Dancing With the Stars." The 28^th Season of the ABC dance-off would have had him competing against everyone from former NBA star Lamar Odom to "Bachelorette" alum Hannah Brown. Sheen was even partnered with popular pro dancer Cheryl Burke, according to Us Weekly. His publicist confirmed to the outlet that the actor's "very generous" offer for "Dancing With the Stars" had been part of a contingency deal for a series pilot on ABC. But at the last hour, Sheen changed his mind and backed out. "I was very flattered by ABC and their offer, but at the end of the day, I have two left feet and I just can't dance," he told the outlet.

While he didn't take the "Dancing" deal, Sheen was still on ABC's mind for the following season. ABC executive Rob Mills told Variety that even though Sheen rejected the Season 28 offer, he still wanted him for the show. "I think people would love to see him, but it may not be for him," Mills said. "What I really found very sweet about him is he basically said, 'I really don't dance. I've got two left feet.' So there's a real sweetness and vulnerability, which would be really fun to showcase on the show."

While Charlie Sheen said no to "Dancing with the Stars," his ex-wife, Denise Richards, did compete in the ABC dancing competition — a full decade before he was even asked. Sheen was married to Richards from 2002 to 2006, and they share two daughters, Sam and Lola.

In 2009, Richards was partnered with pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, but the duo didn't last long. Richards and Chmerkovskiy were the second pair eliminated during Season 8 of "Dancing with the Stars." The "Wild Things" star told People she enjoyed her short-lived stint on the celebrity dance-off. "When else am I going to get to dress up like this, work with someone like Maks and be able to do a family show that my daughters can watch together," Richards said.

At the time, Sheen was married to Brooke Mueller, the mother of his twin sons, Bob and Max. A source close to Mueller told Today that Sheen's then-wife was happy Richards was booted off of "Dancing With the Stars" early on. "Her friends were having viewing parties just waiting for (Richards' expulsion) to happen," the insider said. "They're tired of [Richards] doing anything for attention."