In the span of his 30-year career as a comedian, Tim Allen has noticed that as of late, he’s had to err on the side of caution when it comes to his jokes.
“You don’t know what you’re going to say to offend people,” the 65-year-old actor said during a PaleyFest panel for “Last Man Standing” in Beverly Hills, Calif. Thursday.
He continued: “It is really like dancing on the thinnest ice. I’ve been in the comedy world for 30 years as a comic and there’s nothing more dangerous right now for all of the comics I know, what we can and cannot say.”
Allen, who is gearing up for the Season 7 premiere of “Last Man Standing,” went on to say that all comedians are “basically anarchists.”
“I don’t like being told what I can and cannot say and who’s telling me what I can’t do,” he admits, adding that on the “Last Man Standing” series, he brings “a little of that” to the writer’s room.
“I really appreciate where these guys go because our writers are all over the map and with writing just the stuff you do in your life,” he notes.
This isn’t the first time Allen has opened up about being an “anarchist” when it comes to politics.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Thursday, Allen was asked point-blank about his political views after previously saying that his conservative values were the reason for public criticism of him as well as ABC’s decision to cancel “Last Man Standing” despite high ratings.
“Politically I’m kind of an anarchist if you see my stand-up. I’m for responsible government that actually does what we pay them to do,” Allen said. “I’ve worked different jobs and I’ve had a colorful past and I pay a lot in taxes. I wish we got more for our money. Whatever political party is for more responsible use of our money — that’s all I meant.”
Despite never officially endorsing Donald Trump, many of Allen’s detractors label him as a staunch supporter. However, the star also clarified his more nuanced view of politics with regard to the president.
“You know … it’s a very loaded question. I’ve met [Trump] at [a] charity event years ago, and that certainly doesn’t fit with the man who tweets. I’ve met a lot of people in private whose public persona is a bit off. My perception is ‘let’s see what he gets done.’ Let’s stop banging on the pilot’s door and trying to pull the guy out of his seat while he’s still flying. You might not like how he’s flying the plane but let’s let him land it,” Allen told the outlet.
“Do I like him or agree with him? … I don’t know. Somebody got this NAFTA thing done. How did that happen? It’s like a slight of hand with this dude. There’s this smoke and smelly food but over here he just fixed a pothole.”
“Last Man Standing” premieres Sept. 28 on Fox.