What Angus T. Jones Looks Like Today
Men, men, men, men, manly men. "Two and a Half Men" was a CBS staple, running for 12 seasons and becoming, at one point, one of the network's biggest moneymakers. The eponymous manly men were Jon Cryer, Charlie Sheen, and a little-known child actor named Angus T. Jones. Although the Texas-born actor had a handful of notable roles in films like "The Rookie," "George of the Jungle 2," and "Bringing Down the House," he certainly became synonymous with his "Two and a Half Men" character Jake Harper — and fast.
As the "half man," Jones grew up before our very eyes during the show's 12-year run, however as he matured, so did his feelings about show business, being in the public eye, and the show that made him famous. By 2010, he was pulling in $300,000 an episode and had earned the title of "the highest-paid child TV star," per The Hollywood Reporter, however he exited after the show's tenth season.
Why did he leave Hollywood behind? Where did he go? And does he still look anything like that adorable kid we watched navigate adolescence? This is what Angus T. Jones looks like today.
He clashed with the message behind Two and a Half Men
Although his "Two and a Half Men" character Jake Harper was a lackadaisical slacker — and a budding womanizer — Angus T. Jones couldn't be further from the boy he portrayed on screen. Behind the scenes, Jones was devoutly religious, a fact that was at odds with not only his TV counterpart but the world of Hollywood in general. During the tenth season, Jones shared a video testimony where he got very candid about his views as a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
In the video, which went viral in 2012, Jones admitted, "I'm on 'Two and a Half Men' and I don't want to be on it. Please stop watching it. Please stop filling your head with filth." He compared the show to "the enemy" in his interview with Forerunner's Christopher Hudson, adding, "There's no playing around when it comes to eternity. ... You cannot be a true God-fearing person and be on a television show like that."
Needless to say, this declaration left fans shocked. The very next day, Jones appealed to show creator Chuck Lorre in a statement to Deadline: "I am grateful to and have the highest regard and respect for all of the wonderful people on 'Two and Half Men' with whom I have worked over the past ten years," he said, adding that he apologized if his comments implied "indifference to and disrespect of [his] colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity."
He exited the show during its eleventh season
After his controversial comments, Angus T. Jones was downgraded to a recurring character on "Two and a Half Men" Season 11, although as The Hollywood Reporter reported, he was notably absent the entire season. In the show, his character joined the U.S. Army and was shipped off to Japan, and his absence was seemingly filled by the addition of Charlie's long-lost daughter Jenny, portrayed by Amber Tamblyn.
After his initial exit, Jones felt much more comfortable talking about his issues with the series. "It was making light of topics in our world that are really problems for a lot of people," he told KHOU-TV, per The Washington Post. "I was a paid hypocrite because I wasn't okay with it, but I was still doing it." He also made it clear that he didn't have bad blood with show creator Chuck Lorre, adding, "[The show is] like his baby, and I just totally insulted his baby and to that degree I am apologetic, but otherwise I don't regret saying what I said."
His character did make one last appearance
After Angus T. Jones' exit — and Charlie Sheen's infamous departure — "Two and a Half Men" tried to keep the gusto going by adding Ashton Kutcher and Amber Tamblyn, but all good things must come to an end. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series' eleventh season was "down year-over-year and off considerably from its Sheen heyday," so its twelfth season marked its last.
Jones made a brief but impactful cameo in the series finale and to say viewers were happy to see him again is an understatement. "When Angus stepped on the stage [while filming the finale] — it was so loud and exuberant," Chuck Lorre told Variety. "We had to tone it down for the broadcast. They were so excited to see him — it went on and on."
Despite Angus' "paid hypocrite" comments, it sounds like there was no on-set drama, and as Lorre said in Variety, "he was eager and excited to do it. It was like old times — except that he's not eight years old any more." His appearance was short but sweet: Jake shows up at the house to tell his father Alan (Jon Cryer) that he's quit the Army, gotten hitched, and is living in Japan. Furthermore, he's gotten rich, winning big in Vegas after gambling money he received from the mysteriously-still-alive Charlie Harper. He exits after the scene. Sheen's character didn't fare as well: Uncle Charlie was killed off by a falling piano in the episode's final scene. Ouch.
Angus T. Jones went off to college
After his appearance in the "Two and a Half Men" series finale, Angus T. Jones took some much-needed time away from the industry. According to People, he became a student at University of Colorado at Boulder where he was able to enjoy "a normal existence." "I wasn't the center of everyone's attention, and that was nice," he told the outlet.
The real-life Jake Harper started off at university studying environmental studies before switching to Jewish studies after his freshman year, according to Daily Mail. As of this writing, it's unclear whether or not he completed his degree. In 2016, he told People he was taking "a break" from his studies, but he still remained proud of his decision to leave "Men" and pursue education years before. "I was very confident at the time," he said. "Going to college was something I was really, really excited about." After his time in university, he moved back to Los Angeles where he focused on family, particularly his younger brother Otto Jones. "Getting to be a part of his life is one of my most favorite things," he said.
He stepped away from his 'doomsday' set of thinking
Angus T. Jones' comments about "Two and a Half Men” came as a shock in 2012, however perhaps the most surprising part of his religious testimony wasn't that he belonged to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, but that he was sharing his experiences with pastor Christopher Hudson. According to TMZ, Hudson is a "homophobic, anti-Obama, conspiracy theorist," and shortly after Jones' video was posted, the church made it clear that they weren't associated with Hudson, nor did they ask Jones to come out against the show. "These comments were of a personal nature, reflecting [Jones'] views after having undergone changes during his spiritual journey," the church told the outlet, adding that Hudson's "Forerunner Chronicles is not a ministry operated by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and its host is not a pastor."
For his part, Jones seems to have distanced himself from his views, as well. "Over the last three years I've been involved with various faith-based organizations," he told People in 2016. "Right now, I'm stepping away from the organizational business-model programs. I'm interested in seeing where I go without an organization putting a stamp of approval on if I'm good or bad or whatever." It seems he doesn't view life as black and white as he did before, either. Admitting that he "got pretty doomsday with [his] thinking for a long time," Jones said he "no longer [feels] like every step [he takes] is on a landmine."
One of his last acting credits was in a Louis C.K. project
Louis C.K. took us inside the hilarious, and often tragic, world of a beaten down Brooklyn bar in his 2016 web series "Horace and Pete," following an establishment that has stayed in the family and always been maintained by relatives named Horace and Pete. Angus T. Jones had a small but important role as the son of Horace (Louis C.K.) who could stand to inherit the bar.
As he said on a 2016 episode of Marc Maron's podcast (via The Wrap), Louis C.K. specifically sought Jones for the role because of the way he stuck up for his religious views. "I found that really fascinating, that somebody walks away from a huge job because he doesn't feel right about it," C.K. told Maron, adding that he called Jones on the phone and asked him to fly in from Colorado to shoot the scene. "I said 'I want you to play a guy in a world that's very amoral but you're not. In your mind, you're moral.' And we talked about the idea that when you make yourself moral, you separate yourself from other people," C.K. explained.
While Louis C.K. hinted Jones' character might be key in a continuation of the series, sexual misconduct allegations against C.K. in 2018 certainly put a halt on any hopes. Regardless, it remains Jones' last onscreen credit as of this writing.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
He didn't stay away from the industry completely
Although he was certainly happy with his decision to walk away from "Two and a Half Men," Angus T. Jones had a bit of a change of heart in 2016 when he partnered with Sean "Diddy" Combs' son Justin Combs and Kenechuwku "Kene" Orjioke to start media and event company Tonite — much to his own surprise. "If you'd asked me a few years ago if I wanted to get back involved in the industry, I would have said, 'No. Not at all,'" he told People that year.
The trio devised the company in 2015 after one of Jones' friends from college introduced him to Kene, according to Billboard. According to Justin Combs, the business' plan was "to create an experience for our generation and to create the ultimate happy feeling ... when they come to one of our events." Jones told Billboard that event management was "a completely new thought" for him, and while it initially felt "out of [his] league," he learned "what it takes to put on a good show" from the CBS hit. According to Tonite's Facebook page, the company hosted a handful of events, including a Halloween party and shows with Young Thug and 21 Savage, however it seems their company shuttered after 2016 and their website is defunct.
Angus T. Jones currently lives off the radar
Since opening up about his events company and experiences with organized religion in 2016, Angus T. Jones has largely kept to himself, leading a quiet life away from the spotlight. In August 2021, the Daily Mail obtained paparazzi photos of Jones sporting a large beard and walking barefoot to his car in Los Angeles. The outlet noted that he "maintained a low-profile in a pair of beige shorts and black graphic t-shirt that read 'SHOQUIP' in blue lettering and the name of his home state of Texas."
It appears Jones still resides in Los Angeles and remains close to his Texan roots, however not much else is known about the former child star. In March 2020, he took to Instagram, where he has over 19,000 followers, to share potential musical aspirations, writing, "I do music now, go head and get used to it loves." However as of this writing, Jones has not posted on social media since, nor has he released any tunes.
But he's open to return to acting
While we haven't heard from Angus T. Jones in a while, anything is possible. He admitted to People in 2016 that appearing on the series finale of "Two and a Half Men" awakened something in him. "Getting to be back on the set with everyone again kind of showed me how much I did like it and how much a part of me [missed] acting," he said.
And clearly, he has the "it" factor. In an interview for the Archive of American Television, Chuck Lorre said Jones was "a scene stealer" from the start, and apparently, his audition was unstoppable. "Angus was the only little boy who read for the part [of Jake Harper]," Lorre recalled.
As of 2016, he "still [had] an agent" and appeared in a short film for one of his college roommate's projects. "The door is definitely still open for me to do that, but I'm taking things slowly," he told People at the time. "But I'm kind of liking the ability to travel and to move around at a moment's notice and not have to be in one spot for years at a time." Regardless of whether or not he returns to the big screen, it seems Jones has learned a lot about himself in adulthood and is determined to live his life how he wants without looking back. "In terms of regrets, I try to avoid those completely," he said in 2016. "There's no changing anything. There's only moving forward."