Tim Allen Recalled Freaky Stalker Sitch During Early Years Of Home Improvement, And It Involved A Nude Walk Around The Studio: 'Don't Engage'

Home Improvement is once again making headlines, thanks in large part to Tim Allen’s current ABC sitcom Shifting Gears, whose star-studded Season 2 premiere will have the comedian sharing the screen anew with former co-stars Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn and Debbe Dunning. Ahead of the episode airing, though, Allen had a convo with his old pal Howie Mandel and recalled a rather freaky stalker situation that he dealt with early on in his sitcom years.

Appearing on the podcast Howie Mandel Does Stuff, which the AGT judge co-hosts with his daughter Jackelyn Shultz, Tim Allen got into a real stream of consciousness that began with a yelling-at-clouds run over his own daughter’s compulsion to stare at her phone at all hours of the day. Which then led to Allen recalling getting a Twitter account for the first time and how much he only paid attention and responded to the negative comments.

Which then led to Allen sharing the reason why he had to rely on security during Home Improvement in the first place. In his words:

A sentence like that, without any jest involved, is worth at least 1,000 red flags. But instead of getting overtly freaked out and avoiding that person at all costs, Allen instead decided to respond. As he put it:

The story was news to Mandel and Schultz, with the former initially thinking Allen may have been riffing on a bit. Of course, they asked what happened next, and that's when the Home Improvement fan's mental issues became more apparent. Although not to the security guards on the Disney lot, unfortunately.

I can see how, as a celebrity who isn't accustomed to that kind of fan reaction, Tim Allen might think it was a helpful move to point out to the guy that he was confusing a TV family with real life, even despite the guy's initial message being so judgmental about his fictional parenting. However, this was not a case where intervening ended up helping anyone.

The Last Man Standing vet continued, sharing how his exchange with the security guards went:

Thankfully, Allen said that nude studio incident was the last time he had to deal with that particular stalker, who seemingly didn't try anything else afterward. However, Allen said situations like that have "been a reoccuring thing sometimes." But considering he still responded to some of his more prominent haters on Twitter years ago, it doesn't seem like he took the "don't engage" advice permanently to heart.

At least it doesn't seem like Home Improvement's writers turned that incident into a Tim Taylor storyline the way it's happened with other incidents. Debbe Dunning shared one of her Home Improvement horror stories, so to speak, recalling a point when Tim Allen wanted to bring Pamela Anderson back to the show, and how much that stressed her out as a sleep-deprived new mom. Which, if it sounds familiar, is because the writers turned that emotional trauma into the Season 6 finale, which did indeed feature an appearance from Anderson.

As well, Taran Smith spoke months prior about accidentally learning first-hand that his character Mark’s goth storyline was directly inspired by the head writer’s son. Because he actually ran into the teen, and Smith's on-screen wardrobe mirrored the other teen's real-life outfit.

With hopefully zero awkward or harassing fan encounters involved, be sure to check out Shifting Gears' Season 2 premiere on ABC on Wednesday, October 1, at 8:00 p.m. ET (available to stream the next day via Hulu subscription).