Pamela Anderson is back in the headlines again thanks to the release of her impending memoir, titled Love, Pamelaand the Netflix documentary that will put a similar focus on her meteoric rise to fame, as well as her later life and many successes. An early excerpt from the book exploded this week, as Anderson claimed that the former Home Improvements co-star Tim Allen flashed his penis at her on the set. Allen denied everything, but things appeared newly murky after a video clip surfaced depicting the stand-up comedian lifting a kilt in front of co-lead Patricia Richardson. Now, the actress has responded and offered some clarification about what was happening.
The clip is actually one of Home Improvements‘s many blooper moments that regularly played out during each episode’s end credits. And it’s one that will possibly be familiar to those who watched the show with regularity during its ABC years. Allen’s character Tim Taylor is wearing a kilt, which Richardson’s Jill commented on, saying she wished it was shorter. That point is when Allen lifted the kilt, with only his co-star seeing what was underneath, as the studio audience howled.
Patricia Richardson told TMZ that that fans have been curious about what was going on in that moment, and shared it wasn’t anything so salacious. In her words:
People ask me what was under the kilt when he flashed me, he was well dressed under there, I was just shocked that he lifted the kilt, not by a man in boxer shorts.
To be clear, Pamela Anderson’s allegation presents a far different situation than what plays out in the Home Improvements clip, and shouldn’t make for an apples-to-apples comparison. She seemed to imply that they were away from others during the day in question, while the video was clearly filmed on a set that was presumably filled with crew members beyond the camera operator, not to mention a studio audience watching. As such, Allen lifting his kilt comes off more as a jokey moment primed for the blooper reels.
Richardson apparently didn’t speak directly to Pamela Anderson’s claims, sharing only what she experienced on Home Improvements during the time in question. She and Allen have shared a seemingly close and friendly relationship in the years since portraying the Taylors. She’d made multiple appearances on Last Man Standing when that was still airing, further implying a lack of bad blood.
Following the Love, Pamela excerpt spreading, Tim Allen released a statement denying the allegation, saying:
No, it never happened. I would never do such a thing.
While she wasn’t quite as active in the sitcom world following Home Improvements‘s end in 1999, Richardson has been a busy in the world of network TV in recent years. Her Last Man Standing cameos were later followed by roles on Blind spots, The Blacklist and Grey’s Anatomynot to mention a slew of Hallmark Christmas movies such as Snow Bride. The latter co-starred Katrina Law, which allowed for a fun reunion when Richardson appeared on NCIS in 2022.
It’s unclear if anything else will happen with the Tim Allen accusations, at least without any way to substantiate anyone’s claims. But one can imagine people will be buying up Pamela Anderson’s new book in droves to see what other shocking claims and stories are told within its pages. She’ll definitely be opening up about her negative feelings towards Hulu’s Pam & Tommywhich she claims still makes her sick to think about. The book will hit stores and online retailers on Tuesday, January 31.