All the Times Tim Allen Was Criticized for His Work Ethic in Film & TV

Tim Allen has had several controversial moments throughout his career. We break them all down here.

Tim Allen does not have a squeaky clean reputation in Hollywood. While he’s been apart of many classic movies and TV shows, Tim, 70, has come under fire for some of his alleged on-set behavior on projects like Home Improvement and The Santa Clauses.

Before he was famous, Tim got arrested on drug trafficking charges when he was 25. After serving two years in prison, Tim moved to Hollywood and became an icon. But in recent years, he’s been at the center of controversy because of his alleged actions at work.

Keep reading to learn more about Tim Allen’s most controversial moments.

Cursing In Front Of Children

While appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2021, Tim admitted that he cursed at a child on the set of 2002’s The Santa Clause 2.

“I’m not really a big fan of children. I have them. I like mine, kind of. I don’t like other people’s children. And when we did ‘Santa Clause,’ it was like cats, they wouldn’t leave me alone,” he said. “I mean, I’m dressed like Santa Claus, we had a North Pole set. We used real children, and, in one scene in a submarine, we’re looking, we’re waiting for the North Pole and then Air Force is flying over the North Pole,” he said.

I said, ‘Everybody gotta be quiet.’ And these two kids were fighting in the back,” Tim recalled. “It was late in the afternoon and I’d been in this stuff way too long, I’m very angry, sweaty, and the camera just had to come around and get my eyes. And then the movie opens. It’s Santa. These kids, again: ‘He hit me.’ ‘He pinched me.’ Fifteen takes later, the kid said one more word, and I let out the loudest F-bomb. And I turned around, and there are 12 children who look like you had ripped their legs off. Their Santa has just screamed the F-bomb.”

Tim explained that Disney staff “calmed the parents down” after he dropped the expletive and tried to convince everyone that Tim said a Swedish word. “Kids didn’t buy it. Nobody bought it,” he recalled. “I never did that again. I realized I shocked these poor kids.”

Allegedly Exposing Himself To Pamela Anderson

In her 2023 memoir, Love, Pamela, Pamela Anderson claimed that Tim flashed her when they worked together in 1991 on the set of Home Improvement. Pamela, 23 at the time, said that her then-37-year-old co-star “opened his robe and flashed me quickly — completely naked underneath. He said it was only fair, because he had seen me naked. Now we’re even. I laughed uncomfortably.”

Tim denied that he exposed himself to Pamela. “No, it never happened. I would never do such a thing,” the actor told HollywoodLife in a statement. Pamela later defended Tim, telling Variety, “Tim is a comedian, it’s his job to cross the line. I’m sure he had no bad intentions. Times have changed, though. I doubt anyone would try that post #MeToo. It’s a new world.”

Being ‘Rude’ To Casey Wilson

Casey Wilson claimed Tim was “f**king rude” to her and other cast and crew members on the set of Disney+’s The Santa Clauses.

“Tim Allen was such a bitch. It was the truly single worst experience I’ve ever had with a co-star ever,” Casey said on a December 2023 episode of her “Bitch Sesh” podcast, adding that she “buried this” revelation until now because one of the show’s procurers is a “great friend” of hers and because her children “loved the movies.” 

Casey recalled doing a scene with Tim which ended with him being “so f**king rude” to her. “Never made eye contact, never said anything. It was so uncomfortable,” she explained. “It’s the end, and Tim Allen goes, ‘Leaving!,’ takes his Santa cape, picks it up and drops it on the floor and walks out. And they hustle in his stand-in — lovely man — who was much nicer to act against. People are scurrying to pick up his velvet Santa coat. He’s a bitch.”