sheeniac

Sheen Roast Nearly Sets Comedy Central Ratings Record

Photo: Christopher Polk/2011 Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 10:  Roastee Charlie Sheen speaks onstage at Comedy Central's Roast of Charlie Sheen held at Sony Studios on September 10, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
Photo: Christopher Polk/2011 Getty Images

Charlie Sheen may be a ratings draw, but he’s no dummy. Literally. While he came close, Sheen’s presence at the center of the Comedy Central Roast was not enough to break the network’s all-time viewership record set by puppeteer Jeff Dunham. The latter’s 2008 Christmas special drew 6.8 million viewers, while Monday’s grilling of Señor Ganando brought in 6.4 million pairs of eyeballs in the 10 p.m. hour. (Dunham’s latest special premieres Sunday on the channel.) While he didn’t break the all-time viewing record, Sheen did hand Comedy Central its best-ever tune-in for a roast, nearly doubling the 3.5 million folks who watched the Donald Trump roast earlier this year and easily surpassing the previous roast champ, Jeff Foxworthy, who attracted 6.2 million potential rednecks in 2005. By the way, final Nielsen numbers for Monday’s Sheen-free return of Two and a Half Men are in, and the half-hour did even better than first thought: It averaged 28.7 million viewers and a 10.7 rating with those under 50. Okay, you can go back to not caring about Charlie Sheen and Two and a Half Men now.

Sheen Roast Nearly Sets Comedy Central Ratings Record