"like the biggest betrayal": Charlie Sheen opens up about a memory of Martin Sheen turning him in

Martin Sheen is at the center of a memory that Charlie Sheen described as the biggest betrayal. The actor recalled a moment when his father turned him in after he violated probation in 1998. The account came during a Good Morning America interview on September 8, 2025, where Charlie Sheen spoke to Michael Strahan. He said,

“It felt like the biggest betrayal you can possibly endure,” and added, “I saw it as love eventually.”

At the time, Charlie was on probation following a no contest plea to misdemeanor battery related to then‑girlfriend Brittany Ashland. He later suffered a stroke after overdosing on injected cocaine and tried to leave rehab, which led Martin Sheen to sign documents turning him in. The incident left Charlie shocked, though later he acknowledged the act differently.

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How Martin Sheen turned in his son, why it felt like betrayal, and how it came to be seen differently

Actors Charlie Sheen and Martin Sheen present an award at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on August 27, 2006 (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

Charlie Sheen recalled that Martin Sheen’s decision followed his relapse and probation violation. His father contacted the authorities, leading to U.S. Marshals arriving.

“It’s like in the book when my bodyguard comes to the door and he says, ‘The U.S. Marshalls are on the way. We’re leaving in 5,’” he explained.

The Malibu Municipal Court judge at the time extended Charlie’s probation by one year instead of sending him to jail, choosing rehabilitation instead. Charlie Sheen described the moment as betrayal because he felt unprepared for his father’s involvement.

“It’s hard to ask for help when somebody else has raised your hand for you,” he said.

Martin Sheen had previously staged interventions, including one when Charlie was 24, but the actor explained he was not ready at the time. Although it felt like betrayal in 1998, Charlie Sheen later recognized it differently, saying on GMA that he eventually came to see it as an act of love.

He added that he was not ready for help at the time, but later came to terms with the decision. In his new memoir The Book of Sheen, released September 9, 2025, Charlie reflects on that incident and other struggles, while also acknowledging his eight years of sobriety.

The details appear in The Book of Sheen: A Memoir and in Charlie Sheen’s Good Morning America interview on September 8, 2025. Charlie Sheen’s reflections show how one act from Martin Sheen shaped both his struggles and his later recovery.

What began as a memory of betrayal is now part of his account of survival and sobriety. The actor has since shared that looking back allows him to understand his father’s decision, and that acceptance is now central to how he views his past choices and his continued sobriety journey.

The upcoming Netflix documentary aka Charlie Sheen, set to release on September 10, 2025, will also explore these events as part of its look at his life.