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Who is Tim Allen?

Tim Allen (born June 13, 1953, in Denver) is an American stand-up comedian and actor who grew up in Birmingham, Michigan, and studied radio and television production at Western Michigan University. He started in stand-up on a dare from a friend, at a comedy night at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle in Royal Oak, outside Detroit. The club’s own history says he and Dave Coulier began their careers on its first stage; it opened on January 4, 1979. Wikipedia says he started in 1975, a date that can’t be right for the Comedy Castle, so the first-set year is disputed: 1979 fits the club, 1975 is the year Wikipedia gives. In 1978 he was arrested at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek airport for cocaine possession, and after his release from prison in 1981 he went back to comedy, moved to Los Angeles and became a regular at The Comedy Store. His stand-up specials Men Are Pigs (1990) and Tim Allen: ReWires America (1991; years per their Prime Video listings) came just before Home Improvement, and he wrote the books Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man (1994) and I’m Not Really Here (1996). He still plays theaters: Stockton and Fresno in early 2026 and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in August 2026.

Sources: Wikipedia · Comedy Castle history · Stockton Live · Warnors Center

Stand-up timeline

• 1953Born June 13, Denver
• 1975 or 1979First set on a dare at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle (Wikipedia says 1975; the club opened January 4, 1979)
• 1978Arrested at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek airport (October 2)
• 1981Back to comedy after prison; moves to LA, a regular at The Comedy Store
• 1990Stand-up special Men Are Pigs
• 1991Tim Allen Rewires America
• 1994Book Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man
• 1996Book I’m Not Really Here
• 2026Theater dates: Stockton (Feb 20), Fresno (Mar 7), MGM Grand Las Vegas (Aug 29)

Podcast & show guest appearances

4 verified guest appearances by Tim Allen on other people’s shows (their own podcasts are excluded), newest first.

MyShowNotes ✓ full episode notes exist on MyShowNotes · Request show notes tap to ask us to write notes for that episode

How we verify: each episode was matched in the show’s own RSS feed (found via the Apple Podcasts directory); the date is the feed’s publish date converted to Eastern Time; Tim Allen is named in the episode title or described as the guest; full episodes only (25+ min), no clips, re-airs or compilations. YouTube links appear only when the show’s official channel has the full episode and YouTube oEmbed confirms it (0 of 4); the rest link to the official audio.

How he started, and where he plays now

Specials, albums & books

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Each Amazon link opens a product page we checked on Oct 18, 2026. Specials that only stream on Netflix or Hulu have no store link.

• Tim Allen: Men Are Pigs (stand-up special, 1990, Prime Video) · source: Prime Video listing (year 1990) · Amazon product link
• Tim Allen: ReWires America (stand-up special, 1991, Prime Video) · source: Prime Video listing (year 1991) · Amazon product link
• Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man (book, 1994) · source: Wikipedia · Amazon product link
• I’m Not Really Here (book, 1996) · source: Wikipedia · Amazon product link

Licensed photo, credit above

Tim Allen live dates & lineups

From our comedy tracker: dates, rooms, roles and who opened, each with its source. Updated Sunday, October 18, 2026.

0upcoming runs

0show dates

0runs confirmed

Confirmed · 2+ sourcesUnverified · 1 source

Upcoming dates

No upcoming dates in our tracker yet.

Past performances

No past performances recorded yet.

Openers & features

Tim opened for

None recorded yet. Club pages almost never print opener or feature names for Tim Allen’s shows, so this fills in as sources confirm them.

Opened for Tim

None recorded yet. Club pages almost never print opener or feature names for Tim Allen’s shows, so this fills in as sources confirm them.

Momentum

No momentum note yet. Our tracker started on Oct 14, 2026 (0 runs logged since), so there is no earlier period to compare bookings against. A note appears only when the data supports one.

Said on podcasts

No podcast mentions logged yet.

More on Tim

• Movies & TV shows: every Tim Allen credit

How we check: a run shows as confirmed only when two independent sources agree on it (for example the club’s own calendar plus a ticketing listing, or Tim naming the dates on a podcast). Everything else stays unverified until a second source turns up. Roles appear only when a source states them. Know a date or an opener we missed? Use the form below.

Tim Allen FAQ

Official links

• Wikipedia
• Comedy Castle history
• Stockton Live
• Live Nation: Fresno

Disclaimer: Editorial content about comedians only. Facts are cited to the sources linked above; tour data comes from our comedy tracker and stays unverified until a second source confirms it. We do not fabricate quotes. Support performers via official channels.