Tim Allen, star of “Home Improvement” and “Last Man Standing,” broke his silence Thursday about ABC’s decision to cancel Roseanne Barr’s sitcom.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the comedian-turned-actor responded to questions about “Roseanne” during a panel at the Television Critics Association press tour.
“I go way back with Rosie and that’s not the Rosie I know. She was the most diverse and tolerant woman I’ve ever known for a long time. Whatever got in her head isn’t the Roseanne I know. It’s a very icy time,” he said. “I’ve been a comedian for 38 years and I’ve never seen it, like Lenny Bruce said at the Purple Onion, ‘We’ve gone backwards.’ There are things you can’t say. There are things you shouldn’t say. Who makes up these rules? And as a stand-up comic, it’s a dangerous position to be in because I like pushing buttons. It’s unfortunate.”
When asked if ABC did the right thing, Allen shrugged it off saying, “They had to do what they had to do and it’s their decision.”
When asked about the return of “Last Man Standing” to television, he explains his character’s political influence.
“I think the guy is a centrist,” he said. “He’s probably pro-Trump. He probably doesn’t defend him. He’s for whatever is good for his business and for the state of Colorado. I’m not the character I play. Keanu Reeves didn’t actually murder 100 people in John Wick. What’s interesting to me is pissing people off.”
When asked about his own show’s cancellation by ABC, Allen explained that it was all about the bottom line and not bias.
“I don’t really believe it was a political decision. I think it was a financial decision,” he said. “I thought it was done very poorly, that’s my point of view. I was heartbroken.”
“Last Man Standing” is set to return next month on Fox with most of its cast intact. “Roseanne” will spin-off “The Connors” in October with Barr absent from the show.