Charlie Sheen says Mexican cartel cut him off during peak cocaine use

Charlie Sheen said on 60 Minutes Australia that a Mexican cartel cut him off from his cocaine supply at the height of his addiction, a revelation made during an interview with Channel 9 journalist Amelia Adams as he promotes his memoir The Book of Sheen and the Netflix documentary aka Charlie Sheen.

Adams asked whether rumors he once smoked seven grams of crack in a single session were true. He acknowledged that they did not weigh a single hit, but that the amount cooked to that form was substantial. "The Jaws moment, ‘Uh, we’re going to need a bigger pipe,’" he recalled, adding with a chuckle that the reaction was "funny, but also ... you are lucky to be alive."

Sheen, who was among the highest-paid TV actors, earning about $1.8 million per episode on Two and a Half Men, was sensationally dropped by Warner Bros. and CBS in 2011 after a string of public outbursts. He said he regrets how the eight-year run ended, noting a combination of personal turmoil, back-to-back failed marriages, and the pressure of trying to be present for his four children.

The interview also touched on his disclosures about his sexual life, including that he had slept with men, and his claims of extortion by multiple sexual partners seeking seven-figure sums. He described the decision to reveal those truths as liberating, intended to remove the "bullets" pointed at him and to show that those extortion demands no longer controlled him. "I just wanted to feel what it would be like to just expose that. Not expose that, but to share that and it’s fine," he said. "But it was also to take the bullets out of some guns that have still been pointed in my direction. And just like say, ‘You no longer have any control over me with your extortion demands’."

Now eight years sober, Sheen is promoting The Book of Sheen and the Netflix project aka Charlie Sheen. He discussed his past relationships and the toll they took, saying the public revelations were part of reclaiming ownership of his life and his narrative. He also reflected on the end of his long-running role and the personal litigation and family dynamics that stained those years, describing them as "an imperfect storm of way too much stuff going on behind the scenes in my personal life. And I had back-to-back failed marriages. And then in the middle of all that, [I was] still trying to be front and center for my children."

Images and footage from the interview show Sheen discussing the past and his autobiography tour as Amelia Adams guides the conversation. [Image: Amelia Adams on 60 Minutes Australia]

The evolution of Sheen’s public arc—from one of the highest-paid, controversial TV stars to a sober memoirist and documentary subject—reflects a broader conversation about accountability, redemption, and the boundaries of celebrity storytelling in the current entertainment landscape. He emphasized that his current work is intended to set the record straight while acknowledging the tumultuous period that coincided with his rise and fall on screen. The memoir and the Netflix documentary, both framed as candid explorations of his life, have drawn renewed public interest as Sheen marks eight years without illicit drug use.

Industry observers note that Sheen’s disclosures, including the cartel episode and the selective candor about his sexual past, fit a broader pattern in which high-profile figures revisit past behavior to contextualize present sobriety and legacy. While the specifics of his cartel claim could not be independently verified in the interview, the account adds a new dimension to the long-running chapter of his career and the ongoing conversation about the pressures faced by stars in the modern media environment.

As Sheen moves through this publicity cycle, he remains focused on the themes of responsibility, learning from past missteps, and using his platform to tell his story on his terms. The public reaction to his latest revelations will likely influence audiences’ reception of his memoir and the Netflix documentary as they arrive on streaming platforms and in bookstores in the months ahead.