Patricia Richardson called out her former Home Improvement co-star Tim Allen for spreading unconfirmed rumors of a possible reboot of the popular 1990s TV show.
Richardson played Jill, the matriarch of the Taylor family and wife to Allen's character also named Tim, for eight seasons from September 17, 1991, to May 25, 1999.
Last year, Allen spoke to The Messenger in an interview and mentioned that a potential reboot of Home Improvement was in the works.
"I see Richard Karn a lot," he said, referring to Al Borland, Tim's friend and co-star in the show-within-a-show, Tool Time.
Allen also claimed he spoke to the actors who played the children on the show, Zachery Ty Bryan, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Taran Noah Smith.
"I'm there as one of their friends. We keep talking about [a spinoff]," said Allen.
He recalled:
"It's funny; one of the conversations we've had recently is how weird it would be if 'Home Improvement' would be about the kids' kids."
"Like if all of them had children, and I'm a grandparent. 'Home Re-Improvement 'or something like that. It's come up."
However, Richardson debunked the reboot rumor, saying it would be "weird," and even called Allen a liar for spreading misinformation.
When she was asked on the Back to the Beat podcast if she would do a reboot of Home Improvement, Richardson explained why it wouldn't be possible.
She recalled Allen going on social media and publicly discussing how "everyone was on board to do a Home Improvement reunion."
"But he never asked me and he never asked Jonathan, who I talked to," she clarified.
She continued:
"So I called Jonathan [Taylor Thomas, who played her son, Randy] one day and I said, 'Has he asked you about this' and he went 'No. Why is he going around telling everybody that we're all on board when he hasn't talked to you or me?...I think that's weird.'"
She also said there was a rumor that somebody had a script about Jill's character called "Jill's Dream" and that Allen had lied to people saying that Richardson was on board with the project.
She later took to social media and confirmed she "didn't know anything" about the supposed script nor was she asked about revisiting her character for "another Home Improvement thing."
"I would not want to," she said, adding that "Zach is now a felon."
Richardson referred to Zachery Ty Bryan, who played her oldest son, Brad, on the show.
Bryan has had a history of legal troubles over the years since the show, including DUI and multiple domestic assault charges.
Richardson also mentioned Taran Noah Smith, who played Mark and has since closed his Hollywood chapter and become a Sea Recovery Technician after leaving Hollywood.
She noted:
"He hasn't acted since he left the show. He's not an actor anymore."
She also said Jonathan Taylor Thomas wasn't interested in acting anymore as he wanted to pursue directing more.
"We also don't have Wilson," she said of the friendly, unseen neighbor character played by Early Hindman, who died of lung cancer in 2003 at 61.
With Hindman's character and two of the three boys from the Taylor family not available, Richardson said:
"It's not the same. It's not going to be the show at all."
"And people think we can just magically go right back to who we were 30 years ago and do a show that was 30 years ago...we've all changed quite a bit I think since then."
You can watch the podcast interview here.
Patricia Richardson on if she would ever do a Home Improvement rebootyoutu.be
Despite its less-than-glowing reviews from critics, American audiences have embraced Home Improvement, and it has become one of the most-watched TV shows in the '90s and earned many notable nominations and awards.
While many classic shows from the same era have gotten the reboot treatment, like Fuller House and The Connors, not all of them need a reno.
Richardson said as much when she declared:
"I think we did it. We did it well. We quit at the right time before it got really bad, and it should just stay like it is."
