15 Television Stars Who Left Their Hit Show
By Brad Tilles
Jonathan Taylor Thomas – Home Improvement
The Role: Randy Taylor, the middle child of the Taylor clan. Known for his sarcasm and jokes, Randy was arguably the smartest of the three boys. While he inherited his dad’s sense of humor, Randy failed to connect with Tim Taylor’s (Tim Allen) love of tools and automobiles. Beginning the series when he was nine years old, audiences would see Randy mature into a sensitive and caring teenager, prone to life’s awkward moments.
The Departure: While the series made stars out of its cast, Thomas stood out as a teen heartthrob as scores of young girls christened him “J.T.T.” However, like most child stars, Thomas’s workload as a TV actor interfered with a traditional education. Prior to the show’s final season, Thomas announced he’d be leaving the show to focus on school and desire to go to college.
To explain his absence for the rest of the series, the Taylors said goodbye to Randy as he jettison off to a study abroad program in Costa Rica. Randy would return a few months later in the Season 8 Christmas episode for his final appearance.
The Aftermath: For the remainder of the series the Taylor clan pretty much went on as business as usual, now with only Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan) and Mark (Taran Noah Smith) as the teenagers in the house. The show ended after the eighth season, despite Tim Allen being the highest paid actor on television at the time.
True to his word, Thomas focused on his studies, enrolling in Harvard University and studied abroad at St. Andrews University in Scotland. He ultimately graduated from Columbia University. While Thomas would act in a handful of films and television products, he’s remained out of the limelight for the most part. However, he delighted Home Improvement fans as he reunited with his TV dad on a few episodes of Last Man Standing.