He would abruptly leave the acting industry in 2013
Former child actor Angus T. Jones has revealed the reason why he chose to leave the acting industry behind after finding success on Two and a Half Men.
Most actors enter the industry at a young age, with Jones, now 30, making his acting debut at age of five.
His first role came in the 1999 film Simpatico; however it would be four years later that he landed his first big role, starring as Jake Harper in CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, alongside Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen.
The former actor would go on to star in a massive 226 episodes, before quitting the role in 2013. He would reprise his role as a guest appearance in the show’s finale two years later.
Jones made a fortune on Two and a Half Men. (Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
After winning various Young Artist Awards for his role as Jake, the sky seemed to be the limit for Jones’ career as an actor. He was also the highest paid child actor in Hollywood at the time, pulling in around $300,000 (£236,310) per episode.
However, the money and fame wasn’t enough to keep Jones in acting, as he would ultimately decide to walk away from the industry and pursue higher education at the University of Colorado.
Speaking about his decision to leave the show back in 2014, Jones would tell US news station KHOU that he felt like a ‘hypocrite’ for starring in a show which made fun of real life problems.
“It was making light of topics in our world that are really problems for a lot of people,” he told the outlet.
“I was a paid hypocrite because I wasn’t OK with it, but I was still doing it.”
Jones’ decision to leave the show would coincide with his decision to join the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, a socially conservative sect of christianity.
He would go on speak out against his role on Two and a Half Men in religious videos, encouraging fans not to watch the show and branding the series as ‘filth’.
Angus T. Jones photographed in February 2024. (MEGA/GC Images)
After receiving backlash for his words, Jones would later clarify his comments in a statement to Us Weekly, saying that he had ‘the highest regard and respect for all of the wonderful people on Two and a Half Men’ and that it was never his intention to show ‘indifference’ or ‘disrespect’ to his former colleagues.
“I apologise if my remarks reflect me showing indifference to and disrespect of my colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity of which I have been blessed,” he added.
After taking several years away from the spotlight, Jones would make his return to showbiz in 2023, appearing as a guest star in Bookie and reuniting with his former co-star, Sheen.
