It’s been nearly 25 years since the beloved 90s sitcom Home Improvement went off the air, and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, the actor behind Tim Taylor’s middle child, Randy Taylor, has been largely absent from the spotlight ever since. Recently, however, the former child star made a rare outing near his Southern California residence.
The sighting took place on Wednesday, November 29, according to Page Six, which obtained photos of the Home Improvement star.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas looks like he is going through some things…. pic.twitter.com/aVX5i3ImHb
— Supernatural TV show fan (@jared_secret) December 2, 2023Sporting a tan Lacoste sweater layered over a green shirt and denim pants, the ’90s teen icon exuded casual coolness while venturing to a local convenience store, drink in hand. Completing the relaxed ensemble, he added a dark beanie, glasses, and a pair of sneakers.
The rare outing marks Jonathan Taylor Thomas’ first public appearance in two years. The last sighting occurred in 2021, when the Home Improvement star was photographed walking his dogs in the LA area. Before that, he hadn’t been spotted in nearly eight years.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas Made an Early Departure From ‘Home Improvement’
Jonathan Taylor Thomas’ acting career began in 1987, when he was just 7 years old. In the years that followed, he went on to amass 37 acting credits, including projects such as The Lion King and I’ll Be Home for Christmas. He’s perhaps best known, however, for his 7-year run on Home Improvement, during which he appeared in nearly every episode.
Rather than continue acting, Thomas quit the sitcom early and stepped out of the spotlight almost entirely, choosing instead to focus on school. “Had I stayed at the show and tried to do academically what I’m doing now, I would’ve, you know, put myself in an early grave,” the child star said at the 1999 Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards.
His abrupt break from Home Improvement didn’t sit well with some of his colleagues. Despite his reasoning being to attend college, his sitcom family wished he had stayed to the end. “It’s a pretty sore point around here,” Patricia Richardson, Jonathan Taylor Thomas’ on-screen mother, told TV Guide magazine in 1999. “I think there were a lot of bad feelings all along. I don’t think it’s a good idea that he didn’t show up [for the series finale], but I don’t always think he gets the best advice.”
Thomas’ on-screen father, Tim Allen, echoed the sentiment. “I was a little confused at why he didn’t want to do this whole year,” Allen explained. “He said it was about going to school, but then he did some films. Did he want to do films? Did he want to go to school? It got mixed up in the translation. I mentioned [publicly] that I was confused. I don’t think he liked that.”
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