Charlie Sheen and his wife of 19 years, Carousel (nee Torjman), are currently in a pretty public battle for the #1 spot on Twitter. It all started when Charlie tweeted about an alleged sex tape of his and Carousel’s daughter, Gigi, which later turned out to be a fake. Since that fateful day, it’s been one controversy, fake or real, after another, as Twitter and the public now have their eyes (and ears) firmly set on the troubled marriage of America’s most famous couple.
The Battle For Number One
On the surface, it doesn’t seem that Charlie Sheen is having much success in his bid for #1 on Twitter. As of this writing, his @charliesheen account has only 8.7 million followers, which is a far cry from the 100 million+ he needs to reach the top spot. In fact, he’s only jumped to #2 on the list, with Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, who both have around 20 million followers. It doesn’t seem that he’s building a large base of followers, which could spell trouble for his campaign.
But appearances can be deceiving. It’s well known that Charlie likes to game the system, and this may be the case with his campaign on Twitter. Every so often, he’ll delete and then reinstate his account, gaining all of the followers he lost during these brief absences. In other words, it may not be such a bad idea for Charlie to focus on getting as many followers as possible, rather than aiming for the number one spot.
Battle Of The Sex Tapes
The most recent example of Charlie’s duplicity came when he tweeted about an alleged sex tape of his and Carousel’s toddler daughter, Gigi. The tweet was accompanied by a link to a website that, at the time of this writing, is no longer available. Since then, the authenticity of the tape has been questioned, with some fans even claiming that it’s a forgery. Regardless, the sex tape definitely got people’s attention, and since then, Charlie has tried to play it off as a joke, albeit one that’s reportedly hurt his family and fans. Even so, the rumors and speculation surrounding the tape have kept its popularity high, and it currently has over 2 million views on YouTube.
This is the kind of content that regularly gets the ‘tweet’ button pressed. It would seem that Charlie is trying to cash in on the #MeToo movement, and while many people may sympathize with his desire to speak out against alleged sexual harassment and misconduct, it’s doubtful that this is the kind of content that will help him gain more followers. The last thing he needs as he faces this monumental battle on Twitter is public sympathy and interest in his cause. It will only distract from his campaign and likely make it harder for him to reach his follower count goal.
For their part, Carousel and Charlie have mostly stayed silent about the controversy, other than to occasionally issue a joint statement or go on the offensively-titled ‘Battle of the Sex Tapes’ Twitter account. But as the weeks and days go by, it seems that the battle for number one will continue to rage on social media, with new twists and turns seemingly taken every week. And while Charlie might just want to focus on the fight, it’s clear that this is also a battle that he cannot win alone. He needs the help of his followers to spread his message. But for now, at least, he has them, and that should give him some comfort as he battles for the top spot on Twitter.