What happened to Jonathan Taylor Thomas from 'Home Improvement'?

Remember Jonathan Taylor Thomas, the charming middle child Randy Taylor on the popular sitcom 'Home Improvement?' His witty performance not only won hearts but also catapulted him into teen idol status, making him a household name in the 1990s.

Interestingly, JTT was 10 years old when he started working on 'Home Improvement', but his baby face made him look younger than his older brother, played by Zachery Ty Bryan. Jonathan was actually one month older than Zachary.

Leaping to animation, Thomas voiced young Simba in Disney's 1994 'The Lion King,' a role that resonated with audiences worldwide and showcased his versatility beyond live-action television. Simba's unforgettable voice added to Jonathan's growing fame.

Image: DisneyMusicVEVO/ Youtube

Of course, Jonathan Taylor Thomas (affectionately known as JTT) was one of the most popular crushes for young girls in the 90s. He was regularly featured in teen magazines like Tiger Beat, with headlines like 'How to make JTT notice you!'

Images: Tiger Beat covers

In December 2023, after years away from the spotlight, this 40-plus-year-old actor re-emerged and surprised many of his most rabid fans. "Jonathan was finally spotted this year near a store in Los Angeles!" wrote Jttarchive on Instagram. So what’s been going on since his teenie bobber icon days?

Image: Jttarchive / Instagram

In 1996, he told 'Premier' about how he balanced out being a child star. "I think most [fallen child stars] weren't prepared for the end. I mean, it's not the end of your life! You can't base your life around one thing. So that's why I focus on school, I play sports, I learn the technical side of [filmmaking]. Because some time it'll change, and I'll have my education to fall back on."

In 1998, he told Conan O'Brien that he had always "been over" the JTT nickname. He also told the New York Times that it was "sometimes distracting to look over and see a whole group of girls staring and giggling… You are a part of their life, and there is a lot that is owed to them. It's difficult because you want to make everyone happy, but if you try to do that, you're setting yourself up for failure."

Although the ABC sitcom was one of the most-watched of the time, Taylor Thomas would bid 'adios' just before the show was about to end. At the time, it was reported that he wanted to focus on academics, though he was also filming the movie ‘Speedway Junkie' (1999) He did not appear in the season finale of 'Home Improvement' in December 1998.

While the young actor ruffled feathers by not sticking with 'Home Improvement' until its end, he justified his choice, telling the press in 1999: "I made such a good decision because had I stayed at the show and tried to do academically what I'm doing now, I would've, you know, put myself in an early grave." He also said he loved the novelty of sitting in a library full of books and needed a break!

Outside of 'Home Improvement,' Thomas explored the film industry with leading roles in movies like 'Tom and Huck' (1995), 'Wild America,' (1997), and 'I'll Be Home for Christmas' (1998) demonstrating his ability to carry films as a young leading actor.

While 'Speedway Junkie' (1999) was having problems finding distributors, he was working on what would be his last full-length feature film - the 1999 movie 'Walking Across Egypt.'

In a surprising turn, he prioritized academics over acting, attending prestigious institutions like Harvard University and Columbia University. Thomas showed a dedication to education uncommon among child stars. At Harvard, he studied philosophy and history and spent his third year abroad at St. Andrews in Scotland. In 2010, he graduated from the Colombia University School of General Studies.

Although he was busy filling his mind, he did make some famous guest appearances shortly after Y2K. He was in hits like 'Ally McBeal' (2000), 'The Simpsons' (2004), 'Smallville' (2004), '8 Simple Rules' (2004) and 'Veronica Mars' in 2005.

At the same time, he was in some made-for-TV movies and was a voice actor in film projects up until 2005. Some of his bigger roles here were as a voice in 'The Tangerine Bear' (2000) and as the main voice in the Chinese animated sci-fi film 'Thru the Moebius Strip.'

In 2013, he opened up to People about how he had zero regrets about walking away from Hollywood. "I never took the fame too seriously," he says. "It was a great period in my life, but it doesn’t define me. When I think back on the time, I look at it with a wink. I focus on the good moments I had, not that I was on a lot of magazine covers."

Around 2014, he made some appearances on the ABC show 'Last Man Standing' as the boss and possible secret admirer of a main character. Another star of that show was his 'Home Improvement' co-star Tim Allen. Jonathan even directed a couple of episodes, Looper reports.

And that was really the last time he appeared in anything publicly. He was seen in public in 2021 (photo) and 2023, but he has guarded his privacy with an intensity rare among former child stars. Nothing is really known about what he's up to these days.

Image: Jttarchive / Instagram

For anyone who wrote 'Mrs. Jonathan Taylor Thomas' in the margins of their schoolbooks back in the 90s, the question must be addressed. As far as we know, he is still single. In 2007, there was a rumored engagement to his girlfriend, author Natalie Wright, but the couple split later that same year, according to the New Zealand Herald. But since he is so private, it's impossible to say if he is still on the market.

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