Actor Angus T. Jones denounced his popular television show as ‘filth’ while begging viewers to stop watching
Young and restless — Jones said his newfound Christian values are being compromised. JJ Duncan, Creative Commons
“Two and a Half Men,” CBS Network’s hit comedic sitcom, has had quite a successful run during its nine years on the network. Each season, the show has brought in more than 12 million viewers and an abundance of DVD sales.
But there have also been some low points for the show. The production crew had to deal with the psychological collapse of one of the show’s main actors, Charlie Sheen, during its eighth season in February 2011. Sheen’s meltdown halted production in the middle of the season, with six more shows still left to be produced.
Less than a month later, another low point for the show occurred. Sheen was fired and subsequently replaced by Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher’s performance on the show brought in new viewers, but nationally-renowned newspapers such as the Herald Sun and the New York Daily voiced their opinion that the show’s quality was declining.
But the show’s lowest point may have come Nov. 26, when the religious website Forerunner Chronicles released a video of the show’s 19-year-old star Angus T. Jones calling the show “filth” during an interview with a website spokesperson.
“I’m on ‘Two and a Half Men,’ and I don’t want to be on it,” Jones said. “Please stop watching it. Please stop 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 on television. It’s bad news.”
Jones, who is an evangelical Christian and a member of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, went on to describe himself as a “paid hypocrite,” taking part in a show that “doesn’t want anything to do with God.”
Hypocrite or not, Jones is well paid, earning over $350,000 per episode, which qualified him as the highest paid child star as recently as 2010.
Producers of the show have now said that Jones’ character is unlikely to return next season, which Jones said is fine with him.
“You cannot be a true God-fearing person and be on a television show like that,” Jones said. “I know I can’t. I’m not OK with what I’m learning, what the Bible says, and being on that television show.”
Many will question Jones’ motivation. Jones said that he did not plan to try to get out of his current contract, which some say shows his true character. E! News quoted an unnamed source with connections to the show that said Jones was just trying to avoid having a meltdown like Sheen, implying that his religious viewpoints are forged more out of fear than faith.
But the truth in his words is still there. “Two and a Half Men” is a show that features crude sexual jokes. In the first episode that aired after the controversial video, much of Jones’ dialogue on the show referred to his sexual promiscuity with his on-screen girlfriend.
It is encouraging that Jones had the guts to condemn his show’s vulgar content, but only time will tell if he sticks to his morals. The question of whose actions are right lies not on the producers of the show or Jones, but on us as Christians.
Admittedly, some of us watch “Two and a Half Men,” and still more of us watch shows that closely resemble it in terms of their lack of virtues.
We all say the humor will not hurt us, and that we would never participate in that type of behavior, yet science conflicts with that mindset.
Research conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in accordance with professors from California State University in 2009 found that those exposed to sexual content such as on television shows were “associated with an increased likelihood of sexual behavior and increased intentions to do so in the future.”
That is not to say that everyone who watches “Two and a Half Men” will suddenly turn into a mischievous Casanova, but viewing behavior such as that displayed on “Two and a Half Men” is scientifically suggested to open the door for declining morals.
As Christians, we are called to guard our hearts. As Christians, we should be aware of the signs that will be before us in the last days. In II Timothy 3, Paul warns of those who will love themselves, crave earthly pleasures and become conceited, telling us to “avoid such people.” As Christians, we are called to reach for something better.
Jones has a choice to make after the end of “Two and a Half Men.” In the future, will he participate in shows like that? We have a choice to make, too.
I pray we make the right one.