Tim Allen Admits He Was a Terrible TV Dad (at First)
So, Tim Allen’s been playing dad on television for so long, his *Home Improvement* «kids» are practically grandparents now. Apparently, they’re all older than the offspring in his current sitcom, *Shifting Gears*. And Allen? Well, he’s finally admitting something we probably all suspected: he wasn’t exactly a father-figure guru back in the ’90s.
In an interview with *US Weekly*, Allen confessed that while he enjoyed working with his trio of TV sons on *Home Improvement*, he was a bit more…well, a mischievous older brother than a paternal guide. He credits Kaitlyn Dever from *Last Man Standing* as being the co-star who finally allowed him to step into a proper mentoring role, largely thanks to their shared sense of humor. “I aligned myself with her comedy style,” Allen explained, sounding suspiciously like a proud teacher. Apparently, she actually *listened* to his advice! Imagine that.
He even got misty-eyed talking about how much he missed Dever when she left the show (because, you know, TV families are SO real). It seems a little sad that it took two decades and a few different sitcoms for Allen to figure out fatherhood, but hey, at least he acknowledges it.
He humbly points out that *Home Improvement* launched his career, making taking on any kind of parental responsibility…challenging, shall we say? «It was new to me,» he admits with charming self-deprecation. «I felt like more of a funny, mischievous older brother.» He also generously gives props to the real parents who actually raised those kids right.
Now, if only Jonathan Taylor Thomas would guest star on *Shifting Gears* alongside Dever… THAT’S a reunion we could all get behind!
You can catch *Shifting Gears* Wednesdays on ABC (or stream it on Hulu when you have time to ponder the evolution of Tim Allen’s onscreen parenting skills).
