Ashton Kutcher Takes Charlie Sheen's 'Two And A Half Men' Job

It’s official: Ashton Kutcher, 33, will replace Charlie Sheen as the star of CBS sitcom Two And A Half Men. The deal comes after rumors of negotiations with actors such as Woody Harrelson, Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven and John Stamos. Movie heartthrob Hugh Grant was close to signing the $1 million per episode contract, but allegedly, Grant was not ready for the grind of working on a network TV series and pulled out of the deal.

With so much at stake (Men was the highest-rated show on television), pressure was high to find an actor with the same ratings power as Sheen. Sources said that series creator Chuck Lorre would only keep the show on the air “if he can find the right actor and get excited about that,” according to Deadline. With a background in both television comedy and big screen rom-coms, his own production company, a huge (largely female) fan base and family man status, Kutcher was a solid and reliable choice.

Just an hour after negotiations were completed, the brainy actor (Kutcher began college planning to study biochemical engineering) tweeted his announcement to his followers with a riddle: “What’s the square root of 6.25?”