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Tim Allen thought about taking his own life while in federal prison on serious drug charges nearly 45 years ago.
The “Home Improvement” star opened up about how he contemplated suicide during an episode of Howie Mandel’s “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast released Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Allen, 72, began the conversation by reflecting on how his father’s tragic death caused him to act out, which led to his getting arrested on drug trafficking charges during his 20s.
Gerald Dick, the comedian’s father, passed away in a car accident after colliding with a drunk driver in November 1964. Allen was 11 at the time, and recently forgave his dad’s killer.
“I was just a kid. [I was busted for] picking it up. It was just like in a freaking movie [where it was] in a locker,” the “Toy Story” star recalled. “If you want to get into the details of it, I was treated just as badly as people of color. I was pigeonholed because I was a light-skinned guy from an upper-middle-class family.”
“I didn’t have a pre-sentence report,” he continued. “Most of the situation – as I look at it – was a setup. I wouldn’t have any idea where to sell this amount [of drugs]. It was predetermined what was going to happen to me way before I was in there.”
Long before making it big as a comic and actor, Allen was arrested for having more than one pound of cocaine in his possession back in 1978. He pleaded guilty to felony drug trafficking charges and was sentenced to two years in federal prison.
“The Santa Clause” star went on to tell Mandel that he made “horribly stupid jokes” while behind bars, including jokes about committing suicide.
“I was going, ‘I’m going to kill myself,’” Allen shared. “So I was going to kill myself, and the comedy part of me goes, ‘OK, how are we going to do this?’ My comedy part is always funny at the weirdest times.”
However, when Mandel, 69, confronted the sitcom star about whether suicide was a “serious consideration” at the time, Allen admitted that it was.
“Yes,” he responded. “Because at that point, it was called the Rockefeller Act, where any [drug charges] over a certain amount was life in prison. They wanted to stop drugs like they’re trying to do now by increasing the sentence or putting people in prison. It didn’t work then.”
“Of course,” Allen added when Mandel pressed him once again about the thoughts of taking his own life. “Then I get one old guy who was on the prison bus with me. He goes, ‘Just shut up, grow a beard and stop asking questions.’”
The “Shifting Gears” actor, meanwhile, revealed whether he made any friends during his more than two-year prison stint.
“No. It’s not even funny,” he told his fellow comedian. “Two guys who really helped me through a lot of things, both of them were shot to death the day they got out.”
Allen’s legal problems started in 1978, when he was arrested at an international airport in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for possessing 1.4 pounds of cocaine.
When the comic pleaded guilty, he also shared the names of other dealers with investigators. His sentence was ultimately reduced to three to seven years in exchange for his cooperation, per CBS News.
After serving two years and four months at the Federal Correctional Institution, Sandstone in Minnesota, Allen was paroled on June 12, 1981.
Following his release, he focused on building his career as a stand-up comedian, which later led to his success on “Home Improvement” when it premiered in 1991.
The “Last Man Standing” star, who is now more than 25 years sober, previously opened up about his surprising drug bust and subsequent sentence during an interview with Marc Maron in 2021.
At the time, Allen said he “just shut up and did what I was told.”
“It was the first time ever I did what I was told and played the game,” he shared. “I learned literally how to live day by day. And I learned how to shut up. You definitely want to learn how to shut up.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.