Home Improvement Star Talks Working With Tim Allen, But Everyone’s Focused On How Different She Looks

Patricia Richardson has definitely carved out a place for herself in the pop culture zeitgeist. While she’s appeared on various TV shows like Law & Order and The West Wing, her most notable role is that of Jill Taylor on the hit sitcom Home Improvement. The show would pair her with Tim Allen and, together, they would become one of TV’s most beloved couples. Richardson recently reflected on the synergy between her and Allen and, during that interview, many have also taken notice of her new hairstyle.

Richardson has been known for her brown locks but, during her recent interview with ET, she unveiled her new light grey hair, which she let grow out during quarantine. Check it out down below:

Patrica Richardson with ET

Seeing Patricia Richardson with white hair is definitely a change, but it’s one that suits her very well. With quarantine, many stars have been growing out their grey, and the results have been nice to see. Hopefully, she’ll sport the look for any upcoming projects she has.

But even with her new look, many will likely still recognize her for her role on Home Improvement. Richardson explained to ET that she was tapped as a last-minute addition to the show and was told that it was a project with Tim Allen, who she hadn’t heard of at that point:

They called me in and said, 'There is this guy, he's a standup, he won an award, he has a special on Showtime. I had never heard of him, I had never heard of that show and I had already seen one show that had failed... that had been done with a standup and a family and everything.

Despite the hasty circumstances that brought them together, both Richardson and Allen would accel in the roles of Jill and Tim Tyler. Richardson went onto say that when she met Allen she “immediately loved him.”

The show would end up running for eight seasons, and both the network – and Allen – were hoping for more. Patricia Richardson, however, was ready to move on, feeling there was not much more that could be done with the characters. She admitted that this would put her at odds with Allen, but the actress stood firm with her position. And it was this decision that eventually brought Allen around to the idea of ending the show:

So then they went to Tim, and they said let's do it with dead Jill. And then Tim was like, I don't think we can do that. So then he went out and said well, I think it's time to end Home Improvement.

Nevertheless, the two have remained colleagues and friends to this day. They even reunited when Richardson starred in a few episodes of Allen’s latest show, Last Man Standing. It goes without saying that the two are great together, and it’s great to see that they’re still close.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.