It’s been more than 30 years since Home Improvement made Tim Allen a household name, but the actor and comedian is marking this Father’s Day not with nostalgia — but with honesty. In a heartfelt new personal essay written for AARP, Allen opened up about the emotional toll his rise to stardom took on his relationship with his daughter Kate. Reflecting on the early days of the hit sitcom, which originally aired from 1991 to 1999, Allen admitted that he wasn’t the father he needed to be during those crucial years.
“A few years after Kate was born, I started the show Home Improvement, so I was easily distracted. I wasn’t around nearly as much as I should have been. I was traveling, making movies, partying all the damn time. It was a fun decade, but I missed out on a lot.”
That “fun decade” also included a serious wake-up call. “I’m 27 years sober, and it remains the best decision I’ve ever made in my life,” Allen said. “I’ve made amends to Kate, and she understands. I don’t expect forgiveness from her. I just want her to know that I’m well aware I wasn’t there for her.”
Earlier this year, Home Improvement arrived on Netflix as it reached a new generation of viewers. The series followed Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, an accident-prone TV host, and his loving but long-suffering family: wife Jill (Patricia Richardson), and sons Brad, Randy, and Mark. The family dynamics were the heart of the show, but behind the scenes, Allen was wrestling with his own parental shortcomings.
What Is Tim Allen Doing Now?
His comments also arrived as Allen continues to reshape his on-screen persona. In ABC’s Shifting Gears, he plays Matt Parker, a widowed auto shop owner who’s learning to reconnect with his estranged daughter Riley (Kat Dennings). Shifting Gears was a ratings hit for ABC during its first season, while Season 2 has recently been greenlit following a slight period of uncertainty surrounding its future.
The role, Allen says, is his most personal yet. “This guy is really close to who I am – the authentic comedian, designer, philosopher,” Allen told Collider earlier this year. “He’s not a particularly good dad… He screwed things up with Kat Dennings’ character – great casting there.”
All eight seasons of Home Improvement are on Netflix now, while Shifting Gears Season 2 begins production soon.
