Former Child Star Jonathan Taylor Thomas Spotted in Public After Two-Year Hiatus
Former child star Jonathan Taylor Thomas, known for his heartthrob status in the 90s, recently emerged from his two-year public hiatus, captivating fans as he made a rare appearance near his Californian residence
Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
Jonathan Taylor Thomas, 42, was seen near his Southern California home on Wednesday, November 29, according to photos obtained by Page Six. The former heartthrob of the '90s was spotted wearing a tan Lacoste sweater over a green shirt and denim, casually sipping a drink as he headed into a local convenience store. He completed his relaxed look with a dark beanie, glasses, and a pair of sneakers. Looks like he'll be home for Christmas.
Thomas was seen in public for the first time in two years during an outing on Wednesday. The last time he was spotted was in January 2021, walking his dogs in Los Angeles, marking nearly eight years since his previous public sighting. Since beginning his acting career in 1987 at the age of 7, he gained fame with roles in films such as Man of the House (1995) and Wild America (1997). Additionally, he played middle child Randy Taylor on 7 seasons of Home Improvement alongside Tim Allen before leaving the show early to prioritize his education.
While at the Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards in 1999, Thomas discussed his decision to take a step back from acting, explaining to the press, "If I had continued with the show and tried to pursue academic achievements like I am doing now, I would have seriously jeopardized my health."
After attending both Harvard and Columbia University, Thomas took on smaller acting roles in recent years. He made guest appearances on 8 Simple Rules and Veronica Mars, and lent his voice to six episodes of Nickelodeon’s The Wild Thornberrys. From 2013 to 2015, he joined Allen, 70, for four episodes of Last Man Standing and also directed three episodes of the sitcom.
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In 1996, Thomas expressed his desire to break free from the confines of the acting industry in an interview with Premiere magazine, saying, "You can’t be trapped in this bubble called the acting industry. The industry is neurotic and weird, and so when I go home and I play basketball with my friends, I’m not Jonathan Taylor Thomas. I’m just Jonathan. I don’t like hanging out with other actors and actresses."
Many of Thomas' former colleagues in the industry have expressed their desire to collaborate with him again, despite his separation from the industry. In an exclusive interview with We in 2019, Thomas' former Wild America costar Devon Sawa revealed that he would love to work with Thomas on another project.
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Check out this deal! "We should definitely work on a TV show or something. I'm not sure if he's interested in acting anymore, I'm not sure what he's up to," Sawa told Us at the time. "We really need to sit down for a serious one-hour lunch and figure out what he wants to do! 'You should be acting! Forget this Harvard stuff, you should be acting!'"
Sawa shared that he thoroughly enjoyed his time on the set of the pair's 1997 adventure film and described Thomas as an exceptional person to collaborate with. "We had a blast during our time on set," he reminisced. "I caught up with [Jonathan] fairly recently, within the past year or so. I should probably stay in touch with him more, he's a fantastic guy."
