Tim Allen revealed to Bill Maher what was diagnosed with skin cancer which was initially “missed five times” by a dermatologist.
Allen, 72, spoke with Maher, 70, on the Monday, Jan. 5, episode of “Club Random” podcast. about a conversation he had with the makeup artist on The Today Show.
“The lady from The Today Show noticed it,” Allen recalled. “That was (over) two years ago. I did Jimmy Fallon and then I did The Today Show. And she’s like, ‘I see you haven’t done anything yet.'”
Allen said she trusted her “very prominent dermatologist in Beverly Hills” at the time.
“Finally, I said, ‘Hey, doc, would you take a look at that thing on my nose?'” she shared of the doctor, then put on her glasses “for the first time in 30 years” of visits. “Then he looks at my nose and says, ‘Oh shit. Fuck, Janice, get Paul and my lawyer in here.'”
According to Allen, his doctor admitted that he “did some shit.” The comedian was diagnosed with melanoma or carcinoma, which should have been removed.
“He says, ‘I’m going to have to cut off most of your nose.'” That’s how he said it,” Allen noted. “And I’m like, ‘Let me explain what I do for a living.’ Unless I’m doing Blazing Saddles with the guy with the silver nose, you have to leave some of my fucking nose on so I can do comedy without going 20 minutes without a nose! “
He continued, “Everything worked. The surgeon was good.”
After starting his career as a comedian in the 1970s, Allen made his mark on Hollywood as Tim “The Toolman” Taylor on ABC’s home improvementwhich won him a Golden Globe, and he later played Mike Baxter The last man standing. On the big screen, Allen voiced Buzz Lightyear Toy Story franchise and brought Santa Claus to life Father Christmas movies
Allen made his sitcom last year on ABC’s Gear changewhich he has since hinted at it could be his last project.
“I don’t want to be a (Tom) Brady about it because I walked away from Home Improvement under a lot of stress because I had been offered a great deal to come back and do a ninth and tenth season of Home Improvement,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in 2022 about Last Man Standing ending. “(Wayne) Gretzky was retiring, the hockey player … A couple of quarterbacks were retiring that year. I was just watching sports. I love sports and they all left at the top of their game and that was an interesting thing.”
Tim Allen’s ABC sitcom Shifting Gears has allowed him to recruit familiar guest stars, including his former co-stars from Home Improvement and Last Man Standing. The hit series, which premiered in January 2025, is set in an auto restoration shop run by Allen’s character Matt. After reuniting with his estranged daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings), (…)
Allen confirmed that he wasn’t thinking about making a change.
“I love what I do. I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t doing this,” she explained to Us. “For me, I have a lot of friends who like to fish. Not a big fisherman. I can’t sit around. Golf is more than: I’ve worked harder at golf than I’ve ever worked at any job. It’s a lot of stress. (Jay) Leno and I agree. I love it. I love what I do. It’s not (work) at all.”
Allen noted that taking a break was not on his radar, but later walked back that comment. “This will probably be the end,” he revealed to USA Today in February 2025. “This sounds depressing, but I did it (Shifting Gears) because it seemed like a good idea that would be fun. It really is.”
Allen admitted that it would be difficult to slow down, adding: “I love being around the camera people, the actors and the crew, so much so that it makes me more uncomfortable to think about walking off the set and, God forbid, go golfing.”