The Rocky Relationships You Didn't Know The Cast Of Home Improvement Had
Not everything is what it seems in show business, and not all TV families have the same rapport behind the scenes as they do on camera. The classic '90s sitcom "Home Improvement" features Tim "the Toolman" Taylor (Tim Allen) and his family's capers living in the Detroit suburbs. While Allen's character works to compete with home renovation superstar Bob Vila to varied success, his wife, Jill (Patricia Richardson), and three sons battle everyday struggles with the help of their friendly next-door neighbor, Wilson. The show was a runaway hit throughout its eight-year run, achieving multiple accolades and becoming one of the most-watched shows of the decade.
Though the show's antics could be over-the-top, from home renovation mishaps to schoolyard shenanigans, the core of "Home Improvement" is the loving Taylor family, frequently helped along by neighbor Wilson's wise words (even if they never see the bottom half of his face in the show's recurring gag). But, despite the camaraderie on camera, the cast didn't always see eye-to-eye behind the scenes. By the time the show wrapped in 1999, "Home Improvement" was known as much for the cast's feuds as it was for its punch lines.
Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson left the show on a tense note
"Home Improvement" dominated the sitcom landscape during its run, but its winning streak hit a rough patch in 1999. That year, Patricia Richardson chose to step away from the show to spend more time with her family, causing Tim Allen to reconsider a ninth season. Producers reportedly approached Allen to continue the show without Richardson and write Richardson's character out of the show as having died, but Allen demurred, deciding instead to cancel the series after eight years on the air. "I was a single parent and away from my kids too much," Richardson explained to Closer Weekly in a 2018 interview, explaining that her contributions to the show meant more time away from her children. "Because I was involved in all the writing, I was away from them more than I wanted and felt I missed so many things," she added.
Though Richardson would be the first to extol Allen's comedic stylings and their on-screen chemistry, she admitted that the comedian had not been happy about her choice to quit. Richardson revealed in an exclusive Entertainment Tonight interview that she worried Allen had "never really forgiven me for not wanting to do the ninth year." Despite the tension, the former co-stars occasionally keep in touch. Allen's show, "Last Man Standing," even included a couple of cameos from Richardson.
The original Jill Taylor was fired after the pilot episode
Patricia Richardson's Emmy-winning performance as Jill Taylor on "Home Improvement" solidified her as the quintessential '90s mom. But she wasn't the original choice for the role of Jill, having been hastily cast after the pilot episode. The original Jill was portrayed by Frances Fisher, known for her turn on the daytime soap "The Edge of Night" and for her role as the mother of Kate Winslet's iconic character Rose in the James Cameron classic "Titanic."
Though a noted dramatic actress, "Home Improvement" star Richard Karn revealed that the actress wasn't quite right for the gags and banter of the show. "Frances is a great actress, but in this role with Tim, she came off more as a victim to him than his equal," Karn explained to News.com.au in 2016. After only three rehearsals, Fisher was off the show, with Richardson quickly slotted to take her place. Despite Richardson's reluctance to take on a sitcom gig, the on-screen chemistry between Tim Allen and Richardson was immediately apparent. Of the cast's first read-through with Richardson, Karn added, "It was a very different thing going on with the same words. Pat was way more of an equal to Tim."
Jonathan Taylor Thomas' departure caused beef with Tim Allen
The unquestionable breakout star of "Home Improvement," Jonathan Taylor Thomas entered the mid-to-late '90s as a bonafide teen heartthrob, his image plastering the covers of teen magazines from Bop to Tiger Beat. However, as Thomas' star rose, his commitment to the show appeared to falter, culminating in his early departure from the series at the start of its final season.
Thomas has spoken frequently of how fame weighed on him (including his hatred of the tabloid moniker "JTT"), and he made it clear his focus was on academics, extracurriculars, and social life outside of "Home Improvement." In a 1996 interview with Premiere Magazine, Thomas called the industry "neurotic and weird," stating that he preferred socializing with friends outside of Hollywood. He foreshadowed further that "every job has an end ... You can't base your life around one thing."
Thomas ruffled feathers among the cast and crew when he declined to return for Season 8 or the show's final episode. Commenting to TV Guide around the time of the show's finale, Patricia Richardson remarked (via the New York Post), "I think there were a lot of bad feelings all along." TV dad Tim Allen further expanded on the situation, noting that he and Thomas had disagreements over his expressing surprise over Thomas' exit. "It got mixed up in the translation," Allen said. "I mentioned [publicly] that I was confused. I don't think he liked that."
Taran Noah Smith didn't always get along with his TV brothers
Taran Noah Smith had a storied history after the end of "Home Improvement," from an early marriage to an older woman to a series of fights with his parents over the direction of his career. But even on the show, things weren't perfectly smooth, as arguments erupted among the actors portraying the Taylor sons. In a memoir and self-help book co-written by Smith's mother and former manager Candy Bennici, Bennici reveals that Smith's relationships with the actors playing his TV brothers could be discordant. "A group of three kids with two older and one younger is always going to be difficult," Bennici writes in "Stardom Happens." Bennici helped to quell the teasing from the older boys by having Smith's friends visit the set frequently. "This helped keep the balance from being two against one," Bennici adds in the book.
Mishaps still occurred from time to time, according to Bennici and Smith, including a notable incident where Smith was tied up and left in a closet as a prank. Smith apparently tripped in the closet and became stuck, leading to some momentary panic from Smith's co-stars and others on set that day. All was resolved, however, and Smith came out of the situation unscathed.
Pamela Anderson alleged that Tim Allen flashed her on set
"Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson's breakout television role was on "Home Improvement," where she appeared as the "Tool Time" girl in Tim Taylor's HGTV-style home improvement show. Having previously appeared on the pages of Playboy, the new role proved to help pivot her into superstardom. But an early incident colored her experience on the show, according to Anderson's 2023 memoir, "Love, Pamela." As a 23-year-old new to the set, Anderson details a disturbing encounter with her new co-star, Tim Allen. "On the first day of filming, I walked out of my dressing room, and Tim was in the hallway in his robe," Anderson wrote. "He opened his robe and flashed me quickly — completely naked underneath. He said it was only fair, because he had seen me naked" (via Variety).
Allen denied the claims made in Anderson's memoir, leading to some back-and-forth between the former co-stars. Anderson has stood by the account, noting in a follow-up interview that the #MeToo movement likely made the actor cautious about confirming the event. In a statement to Vanity Fair, Anderson clarified further, "I have no ill will toward Tim. But like the rest, it should never have happened."
Zachery Ty Bryan's legal troubles caused tension with the cast after the show
The eldest Taylor son on "Home Improvement" has also experienced some tension in his relationships with his former co-stars stemming from legal issues he experienced years after the series came to a close. In 2021, Zachery Ty Bryan pled guilty to two misdemeanor domestic violence charges downgraded from several felony assault and harassment charges after he allegedly strangled a woman and took her phone from her when she attempted to call 911. The woman in question was later revealed to be Bryan's then-girlfriend, Johnnie Faye Cartwright. Bryan faced further domestic violence charges in 2023, ultimately pleading guilty to felony assault in the fourth degree, according to Entertainment Weekly. Fraud, debt, and other failed ventures have also reportedly stacked up for the actor over the years.
Bryan's one-time TV dad, Tim Allen, commented on the actor's struggles to The Hollywood Reporter, calling him a "complex man," elaborating, "At a certain point, he deviated from the guy I know to somebody who is reacting to situations that I had nothing to do with and can't control." Allen further stated, "I don't know what happens when people get corrupted. You just don't know."