Charlie Sheen was arrested Christmas morning for allegedly holding a knife to wife Brooke Mueller's throat and threatening to have her killed (Sheen denies it). Has this created a Tiger Woods–style PR disaster for the best-paid actor on television? Hardly. Sheen's hit CBS show "Two and a Half Men" got a ratings boost, ranking as the top draw Monday night, even as a rerun. Can Sheen still thrive, even as Tiger's career took a dive for a lesser alleged offense? (Listen to Charlie Sheen's wife's 911 call)
This may be too scandalous even for Sheen: "Two and a Half Men" had apparently flushed away "all of the negative press" about notorious bad boy Sheen's various scandals, says Kathy Hanrahan at WRAL's RaleighWood blog. But allegedly threatening Brooke Mueller with a knife for asking for a divorce "may be something he may never overcome."
"Can Charlie Sheen's career survive?"
Sheen is "scandal-proof": Sheen will come out of this unscathed, says Jo Piazza in CNN. He's cleverly worked his many scandals "into the canon of bad-boy lore that has made him essentially scandal-proof." Even in a case of alleged "violence against women," which is usually "career ending for a celebrity," it's a safe bet that Sheen's TV show and lucrative Hanes endorsements are safe.
"Why scandals don't faze Charlie Sheen's career"
Sheen deserves ruination: This won't hurt Sheen's career? says Mary Elizabeth Williams in Salon. "Why the hell not?" CBS and Hanes take note: "There's naughty and there's shoving women around, hitting them, verbally abusing them, and threatening to kill them." This isn't even the first time Sheen has abused women — but it should damn well be the last time he's rewarded for it.
"Charlie Sheen's history of violence"
Sheen gets away with it because he's likable: It's wrong to give Sheen a pass for trying to choke his wife, but "he's got the lovable rogue thing down in spades," says Robert Seidman in TV by the Numbers, and we treat "charming and likable" celebrities differently than, say, "surly and aloof" stars like Tiger Woods. That's not fair, but it's "simple human nature."
"Will Charlie Sheen get more of a pass than Tiger Woods?"
