Holland Taylor says low pay led her to leave Two and a Half Men contract after Season 6
On the Alchemy with Anthony Mason podcast, Holland Taylor said she let her Two and a Half Men contract lapse after six seasons partly because the show never raised her pay, even after four Emmy nominations.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Holland Taylor, who played Evelyn Harper, the mother of Charlie Sheen's and Jon Cryer's characters on CBS's Two and a Half Men, has explained why she did not renew her contract after Season 6. VarietyLC “The actress spent six years as Evelyn Harper, the mother of Charlie (Charlie Sheen) and Alan (Jon Cryer), on the CBS sitcom.” Read at Variety ↗ DeadlineN “Holland Taylor, who played the overbearing mother of Sheen and Jon Cryer’s characters, says she no longer wanted to be tied to the show by contract.” Read at Deadline ↗ Mixed · 2Speaking on the Alchemy with Anthony Mason podcast, Taylor said the show never paid well: "I was paid on that show what I had made on a series like eight years before or something." VarietyLC ““They never paid me very well on that show. I was paid on that show what I had made on a series like eight years before or something,” Taylor said” Read at Variety ↗ DeadlineN “And they never paid me very well on that show.” Read at Deadline ↗ Left · 1Taylor was nominated for four Emmys for supporting actress during the run and said the show never gave a raise, which Taylor said is usually customary. VarietyLC ““And I got four Emmy nominations, and they never gave me a raise. They usually do.”” Read at Variety ↗
Centre · 1Taylor said producers were astonished when the contract ended, because that is when people usually "back up the [Brink's] truck". DeadlineN ““In fact, they were astonished because when your contract runs out is when people usually back up the [Brink’s] truck,”” Read at Deadline ↗ Mixed · 2According to Taylor, the producers thought Taylor was negotiating and said they could not afford to pay more; Taylor replied that the show could pay "the cost of this building" but that Taylor did not want to stay under contract, and offered to return occasionally as a guest. VarietyLC “The actress said the team thought she was negotiating and told her they could not afford to pay her more.” Read at Variety ↗ DeadlineN ““They said, ‘But we can’t afford to give you more.’ I said, ‘I’m cool with it. I just will come back as a guest some from time to time.’”” Read at Deadline ↗ Left · 1Taylor then returned only as an occasional guest star and accepted appearances only when Taylor wanted to, saying the flexibility was welcome. VarietyLC ““I only did it if I wanted to do it.””“she declined to renew her contract and instead returned occasionally as a guest star.” Read at Variety ↗
Centre · 1Taylor said others on the show did receive raises, noting that Cryer "quadrupled his salary or something like that", while Deadline noted that Sheen was reportedly paid $1.8 million an episode before leaving the show in 2011. DeadlineN ““John quadrupled his salary or something like that,” she said.”“Charlie Sheen was one of sitcom TV’s highest-ever paid stars at a reported $1.8 million an episode.” Read at Deadline ↗ Left · 1Taylor added: "I loved a lot about that show, but they were not full of courtesies." The sitcom ran 12 seasons from 2003 to 2015. VarietyLC ““I loved a lot about that show, but they were not full of courtesies,” Taylor added.”““Two and a Half Men” ran for 12 seasons from 2003 to 2015.” Read at Variety ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Variety leads with Taylor's pay complaint, putting the quote about never getting a raise despite Emmy nominations in the headline.
- Emphasis
- Taylor's pay grievance, the guest-star arrangement, and the flexibility it gave.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention Cryer's reported salary increase or Sheen's reported per-episode pay.
- Charged language
- “Never Paid Very Well”
- For example
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“Holland Taylor is speaking out about why she didn’t renew her contract on “Two and a Half Men.”” — Variety
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Deadline opens with a contrast between Sheen's reported $1.8 million per episode and Taylor's different reasons for leaving, so the piece is about pay disparity on the show.
- Emphasis
- Sheen's pay, Cryer's quadrupled salary, and the producers' astonishment at Taylor's decision.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the details of Taylor's guest-star appearances or that the show ran 12 seasons.
- Charged language
- “very public meltdown”
- For example
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“At the time of his very public meltdown and split from Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen was one of sitcom TV’s highest-ever paid stars” — Deadline
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Taylor played the mother of Charlie and Alan Harper on Two and a Half Men for six seasons.
- Taylor said on the Alchemy with Anthony Mason podcast that the show never paid well and did not renew the contract.
- Taylor said producers said they could not afford to pay more and Taylor offered to return as an occasional guest.
- Taylor said: "I loved a lot about that show, but they were not full of courtesies."
Holland Taylor person
Says the low pay and the lack of a raise despite four Emmy nominations led to leaving the contract, while liking much about the show and returning as a guest when wanted.
““I stopped being under contract. So, in other words, they would say, ‘Can you do a guest appearance at the end of March?’ And I would say, ‘No, I cannot,’”” — Variety
Left2 articles
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Neutral Reports Taylor's pay complaint and guest-star arrangement largely through direct quotes.
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Centre1 article
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Holland Taylor Reveals Why She Didn’t Renew Her ‘Two And A Half Men’ Contract
Mixed Frames Taylor's account against Sheen's and Cryer's large salaries, with a mildly colourful lede about Sheen's meltdown.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 25 Oct 18:55 First VarietyLC Holland Taylor Says She Was ‘Never Paid Very Well’ on ‘Two and a Half Men’: ‘I Got Four Emmy Nominations, and They Never Gave Me a Raise’
- 25 Oct 22:14 +3h 19m The A.V. ClubLC Holland Taylor ditched Two And A Half Men because she wasn't paid enough
- 26 Oct 02:31 +7h 36m DeadlineN Holland Taylor Reveals Why She Didn’t Renew Her ‘Two And A Half Men’ Contract
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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