Two And A Half Men Child Star Explains Why He Left Hollywood After Becoming Highest Paid Child Actor

After achieving fame on Two and a Half Men, former child actor Angus T. Jones disclosed the reason behind his decision to abandon the acting profession.

Since most actors start their careers at an early age, Jones, 30, had his acting debut when he was just five years old.

He made his screen debut in the 1999 movie Simpatico.

It took him four years to land his first major role, where he starred alongside Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men as Jake Harper.

Jones made a fortune on Two and a Half Men. Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Before leaving the job in 2013, the former actor appeared in a staggering 226 episodes. 

Two years later, he would return to the show as a cameo appearance in the finale.

With multiple Young Artist Awards to his credit for his portrayal of Jake, actor Jones appeared to have endless possibilities in his acting career. 

At the time, he earned about $300,000 (£236,310) every episode, making him the highest-paid child actor in Hollywood.

Despite his success and wealth, Jones eventually decided to leave the acting profession in order to attend the University of Colorado for his graduate studies.

When Jones decided to leave the show back in 2014, he told US television station KHOU that he felt like a "hypocrite" for being a star of a program that criticized real-life issues.

"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 made the decision to join the socially conservative Seventh-Day Adventist Church at the same time as he decided to leave the show.

Angus T. Jones photographed in February 2024. MEGA/GC Images

He would later criticize his part in Two and a Half Men in religious videos, urging viewers to avoid the program and denouncing it as "filth."

Jones later clarified his remarks in a statement to Us Weekly after facing criticism for them. He said 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 treat his former coworkers with "indifference" or "disrespect."

"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 several years out of the spotlight, Jones made his comeback to showbiz in 2023. 

He appeared as a guest star in Bookie and reunited with his former co-star, Sheen.