Tim Allen Credits His Parenting Skills to a ‘Rich Background in Learning to Listen’

Funnyman Tim Allen has played a lot of dads over his long career — from Home Improvement’s Tim Taylor and Last Man Standing’s Mike Baxter to Scott Calvin of The Santa Clauses. This month, Tim returned to TV on Shifting Gears as Matt, a widower who takes in his estranged adult daughter and her children. It airs on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu.

At 71, Tim views Matt, a professional car restorer, as a significant progression from the television fathers he grew up with.

“He’s a creative guy who’s in grief over the loss of his wife,” he exclusively tells Closer. “It’s still a comedy, though.”

One of the main sources of laughter is Matt’s frayed relationship with daughter Riley, played by Kat Dennings.

"Tim remarks, 'She's an exceptional actress — and coincidentally, we have the same birthday.' He continues, '[Her character] became pregnant during high school, which completely altered her life trajectory. She pursued a career in music, had two children, and eventually returned home.' Tim explains, '[My character] has a dislike for her. However, she reaches out for assistance, and despite believing it's a poor choice, I find myself unable to refuse her.'"

Tim feels grateful that his relationship with his real-life daughters, Katherine, 35, from his first marriage, and Elizabeth, 15, whose mom is Tim’s current wife, Jane Hajduk, are much easier.

He shares that becoming a good father has been a journey of learning to truly listen, acknowledging that it hasn’t always been straightforward for him. “We’ve encountered misunderstandings over some pretty silly discussions,” he admits.

Not long ago, he and Elizabeth engaged in a deep and meaningful conversation.