Hollywood star Charlie Sheen said he changed the channel and discovered that legacy media is very much like state-run media during a recent conversation with Megyn Kelly.

After being asked by Kelly if he is getting more comfortable with his politics and expressing them, Sheen replied that he is. He added that he thinks we all or a lot of us remain beholden to the structure of the house we were raised in with politics, religion, the arts and culture.

“It’s just that those are our early influences, and, so, it’s just all I knew growing up. It was, like, ‘the god guys and the bad guys,’ and, yeah, okay for a while, but then I’ve paid the most taxes of anybody in my fucking family.”

After President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, Sheen said he decided to change the channel to see if conservatives could convince him of anything. He explained he didn’t want to feel like he did during Trump’s first term.

“I was not going to go to bed every night feeling fucking hopeless. I was not going to go to bed every night being told things were catastrophic — and I thought alright, I’m gonna conduct an experiment, literally, I’m going change the channel.”

Sheen continued explaining his journey.

“I am gonna do my own research like I’ve done with everything my entire life. I’m gonna listen other voices. I’m gonna explore, just hearing both sides of the god damn story, you know?”

The actor went on to say he was hypnotized by what in some ways can be described as state-run media.

“I was so hypnotized by what, in some ways, can be described as state-run media. I’m sorry, but it can. Legacy media is very much like that.”

Sheen explained his decision to seek out different perspectives.

“And I said, okay, alright, enough of that. I’m gonna change the channel, hear some different voices and do the research. And the things I discovered, the things that I started to really unearth.”

The Two and a Half Men star described how he felt about what he learned.

“It was not just one of those moments, it was like months of those moments of, ‘Oh my gosh!’ And I felt really stupid. I don’t have a fancier way to describe it, I feel really stupid.”

Sheen talked about the things he had believed without questioning them.

“Some of the stuff I bought into, and some other stuff I was worshipping, and some people I was hating, because I was told I was supposed to hate them.”

Kelly then chimed in asking about his vote.

She asked when he walked into the ballot box and voted for Trump, how did that feel.

“That’s another one of those examples where you feel stupid, I was still kind of on the other side. But it’s a vote I’d like to have back.”

Sheen’s comments represent a stunning admission from someone who spent years in the liberal Hollywood bubble. His description of feeling hypnotized by media coverage suggests he now recognizes how one-sided information shaped his worldview.

The comparison to state-run media is particularly damning. State-run media exists to promote government propaganda and suppress dissenting views. Sheen is essentially saying mainstream American news outlets function the same way by only presenting one political perspective.

His decision to actively seek out conservative voices after Trump’s reelection shows intellectual honesty that most Hollywood celebrities lack. Rather than doubling down on his existing beliefs, Sheen opened himself up to hearing the other side.

The months-long process he described of discovering information he had never been exposed to reveals how effective liberal media has been at hiding certain stories and perspectives. Each new discovery made him feel stupid for not knowing sooner.

Sheen’s admission that he was told who to hate perfectly captures how liberal media operates. They don’t just report news, they tell audiences which public figures are good and which are evil. Questioning those designations gets people labeled as dangerous or crazy.

His regret about not voting for Trump in 2024 suggests that had he done his research earlier, he would have made a different choice. This implies he now sees Trump more positively after hearing conservative perspectives he had previously dismissed.

The actor’s willingness to admit he felt stupid shows humility rarely seen in Hollywood. Most celebrities would rather maintain their liberal credentials than acknowledge they were wrong about anything political.

Sheen paid more taxes than anyone in his family yet supported the party demanding higher taxes. His comment suggests he finally questioned whether constantly sending more money to government made sense.