Charlie Sheen Opens up About Father Martin's 'Biggest Betrayal'

"The Book of Sheen" BOMBSHELL: Charlie Sheen bares all in shockingly raw interview — from secret stutter and drug spirals to feeling BETRAYED by his own father.

In a no-holds-barred sit-down interview with "Good Morning America," Hollywood star Charlie Sheen opened up to famous host Michael Strahan about his memoir, "The Book of Sheen," his battle with addiction, and his stutter, which he hid from everyone.

During the conversation, Charlie also shared a staggering revelation about an action of his A-lister father, Martin Sheen, which he viewed as a betrayal. The world has seen Charlie at his most manic — but never quite like this.

'The Biggest Betrayal You Could Possibly Endure': Charlie Sheen Opens up in an Exclusive Interview

In an exclusive September 8, 2025, broadcast, "Good Morning America" aired a deeply revealing interview, where the troubled actor cracked open his life story like never before. The interview was part of the media blitz for "The Book of Sheen," and no topic was off-limits.

From his earliest days on set alongside his famous father, Martin, and brother Emilio Estevez, Charlie was ushered into the family business at a young age.

But behind the glitz and red carpets, he carried a secret that haunted him for some time: a debilitating stutter. "People don't realize," Michael noted, opening the door to a confession Charlie had previously kept buried.

In his memoir, the actor shares that his struggle with certain sounds and syllables was so painful, he turned to alcohol as an escape. "Drinking just uhm, it just made everything — it took the uh — it softened the edges. It gave me [...] freedom of speech," Charlie explained.

It wasn't until 2000, on the set of "Spin City," that Charlie finally faced the issue head-on. Handed a script riddled with phonetic traps, he made a bold decision — to stop hiding.

"Did that feel liberating?" Michael asked, to which Charlie confirmed, "It did." With that decision, he learned to ask for help, which became central to his journey toward healing. The shift was one of many emotional leaps Charlie reflected on during the interview.

Addiction, Relapses, and the Dark Side of Fame: 'It Was Only a Matter of Time'

Another dark thread woven through Charlie's story? A decades-long war with addiction. The actor revealed his first intervention, held by his family, came at just 24. This was then followed by his first of many trips to rehab in 1990.

"I didn't get sober for me," he writes in his memoir. "I got sober for them. It was only a matter of time before I'd sneak out of a side door into the alley where all things fun and familiar were lurking on standby."

When Michael pressed him about why sobriety didn't stick at that time, Charlie's answer was heartbreakingly clear — "It's hard to ask for help when somebody else has raised your hand for you." But it was his raw confession about a painful act of tough love from his father that stopped viewers in their tracks.

Charlie recounted how, in 1998, following an overdose, Martin called authorities to report that his son was violating his probation. "It felt like just the biggest betrayal you could possibly endure," Charlie revealed, recalling how U.S. Marshals were en route to take him away.

At the time, he couldn't see the act for what it truly was. "You didn't see it as love," Michael noted. "You saw it as betrayal." Charlie then highlighted that he eventually came to view it through a different lens — a painful but necessary expression of care. Still, in that moment, the fracture between father and son ran deep.

Prescription Pills, Double Lives, and Fear on the Set of 'Two and a Half Men'

Despite managing to stay clean for several years, Charlie's demons crept back in — this time, hidden behind the polished veneer of TV stardom. While filming the mega-hit "Two and a Half Men," he spiraled again with prescription pills while maintaining a public persona of recovery.

"As the show wore on," he wrote, "it was two and a half personalities I had to embody — sober guy for Chuck, friendly guy for my co-stars and crew, half of whatever guy left over for me. Fear guy, mostly."

"What were you afraid of?" Michael asked. Charlie then described the dread of being "outed" on a set that had an "AA energy," and the shame of knowing he wasn't living up to the version of himself he had projected.

Yet amid the shame and deception, the "Wall Street" actor emphasized that his journey isn't just about falling — it's about climbing back up. He's spent years making amends — a process he says remains ongoing.

"There are a few people still out there that if I could get in touch with them [...] there's still some of that available for them," Charlie shared. And as the interview neared its end, his tone shifted from remorse to renewed purpose.

"I would like to be respected or appreciated as a writer, as an author [...] This story should have ended a hundred times, twenty years ago," he told Michael. "And it didn't. So whatever happens next might be where some of the real gold has been hidden."

A past Shocking Revelation: Charlie Sheen's HIV Diagnosis and His Desperate Attempt to Keep It Hidden

Though emotional, this interview wasn't the actor's first time baring his soul in front of millions. Years earlier, Charlie Sheen had stunned the world with a different kind of confession — one tied to his health and a deeply personal choice he made for the sake of his family.

Back in 2016, he shocked the world when he announced he was HIV-positive in a "Today Show" interview with Matt Lauer. He came forward in an effort to shut down extortion threats and a brutal smear campaign that had tormented him for years.

Doctors had diagnosed him nearly four years before he went public. And in that time, Charlie paid out an estimated ten million dollars to people he thought he could trust — in a desperate bid to keep the truth hidden.

However, he revealed that he didn't know how he contracted the virus, but his symptoms began with insane migraines, a series of cluster headaches, and excessive sweating. On the matter, he disclosed, "I thought I had a brain tumor. I thought it was over."

The day he was diagnosed, Charlie said he thought of "eating a bullet," but his mother was there, and he didn't want her to see that.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HIV, which is the human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the immune system and, if untreated, can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). While there is no cure, modern treatments and adequate medical care allow people to live long, healthy lives.

Upon learning about his condition, Charlie informed his ex-wives; however, he didn't share the news immediately with his oldest daughter, Cassandra Estevez. When he eventually told her, he said she took the news hard but quickly recovered because she's strong like him.

After sharing the news with Cassandra, he apologized to her for keeping it a secret. He said, "'I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but it didn't seem like you could do anything for me and [sic] I didn't want to burden you with all the stress.' But she was a rock star about it."

Charlie had Cassandra in 1984 with Paula Speert, and, unlike her father, she has stayed away from the spotlight for most of her life, and there is very little information about her.

However, from what is known about her, she studied acting at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, married Casey Huffman, had a son in 2013, and made Charlie a grandfather for the first time.

Turning Pain Into Purpose: A Second Chance at Life and Legacy

By coming forward, Charlie hoped to dispel the stigma surrounding HIV and become a symbol of hope. He shared, "I have a responsibility now to better myself and to help a lot of other people, and hopefully with what we're doing today [sic] others will come forward and say, 'Thanks, Charlie.'"

The actor also participated in a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study for a promising new HIV drug, PRO-140, which was in the late stages of its trial.

When he partook in the study, Charlie revealed that the drug was very close to being approved. Additionally, the drug had no side effects like other drugs that took their toll emotionally and physically.

He also mentioned that it was not a hideous cocktail, and all he had to do was take weekly shots. After his announcement, Charlie expressed that he had entered a more thoughtful and reflective phase in his life.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "help" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.