onathan Taylor Thomas was at the pinnacle of his fame when he left Hollywood, leaving young females pining for the adolescent idol, also known as JTT.
The admirers who used to fawn over the Home Improvement actor, who turned 43 on September 8, were horrified by his appearance when they last saw him in 2023.
Continue reading to find out what happened to the guy who notably voiced Simba in the 1994 Disney classic The Lion King! After playing Greg Brady’s son on the short-lived 1990 TV series The Bradys, a spinoff of The Brady Bunch, Jonathan Taylor Thomas landed a job on Home Improvement, starring comedian Tim Allen.
When the program aired in 1991, Thomas, who portrayed the middle kid, was just ten years old. He spent the next eight years growing up in front of an international audience, achieving stratospheric renown as a teen heartthrob to millions of loving young ladies.
“You are a part of their life, and there is a lot that is owed to them,” he told the New York Times of his enormous popularity. It’s challenging because trying to please everyone is a surefire path to failure.
Thomas, who was born in Pennsylvania, played Simba in the massively successful Disney animated picture The Lion King, which made viewers laugh, cry, and sing.
“Simba’s like me,” adds Thomas, who portrayed the small lion in the blockbuster song with his regular voice. “I simply put my natural energy into it.” I am highly inquisitive, enjoy having fun, and am prone to mischief.
Thomas, who alternated between Randy Taylor and The Lion King on Home Improvement, remembers spending two years moving back and forth between sets.
“I had to acknowledge my mistake.” It’s time to be Randy. ‘Oops! It’s time to become Simba,’ Thomas told People in 1994. “You must prepare yourself to become this completely different person.” “We aren’t lions, right?”
Thomas began his withdrawal from the spotlight in 1998, after quitting Home Improvement before the series’ final season.
“I can’t tell you how many shows I’ve done with full-blown migraine headaches,” he says, expressing his tiredness. “I’d been going nonstop since I was eight years old.” I desired to attend school, travel, and take a short vacation.
Over the next several years, he made guest appearances on series such as Ally McBeal, Smallville, and 8 Simple Rules, as well as lending his voice to animated characters on The Wild Thornberrys and The Simpsons.
Before leaving, he took on more challenging parts, such as a bisexual hustler in the independent film Speedway Junky (1999) and a persecuted homosexual kid in Showtime’s Common Ground (2000).
These choices, along with his desire to retain solitude, fueled suspicions about his sexuality, which he politely refuted during an interview with Jay Leno.
Thomas, who was 17 at the time, told the show, “I wasn’t too upset about it, because in Hollywood, you’re pretty much nobody until it’s rumored that you’re gay.” While there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s important to exercise caution when dealing with internet rumors.
When Leno inquired if he was gay, Thomas said, “No, no, no, no, I’m not.” “I am not.”
Later, in an interview with The Advocate, he denied the reports, which he claims originated on the website CyberSleaze.
Thomas remarked, “I’m sure my recent roles have validated it.” “What startled me was how willingly people accepted it.”
Next, he left Hollywood to pursue his goal of “going to school,” breaking hearts along the way.
In 2000, he graduated from Chaminade College Preparatory School in New York and attended Harvard University, where he studied philosophy and history. He later graduated from Columbia University’s School of General Studies in 2010.
Sitting in a large library surrounded by books and students was very cool. “It was a new experience for me,” he explains.
He acknowledges that he “never took the fame too seriously” and expresses thanks for a “great period in my life. But it does not define me.”
He went on to say, “When I reflect on the past, I wink. I focus on the positive aspects of my life rather than the fact that I have appeared on several magazine covers.
Taking advantage of his free time, Thomas claims he has “no regrets” for quitting Hollywood.
But he didn’t vanish completely. From 2013 until 2015, the former adolescent idol reunited with Allen, his TV father from Home Improvement, for four episodes of Last Man Standing. He also directed three episodes of the show.
In 2023, two years after being sighted walking his dogs, the star was recognized in public, and the photos sparked a lot of interest among followers.
The celebrity dressed simply, sporting a beige sweater, trousers, and a black tuque.
Fans rushed to the comments section to share their opinions on his unusual sighting.
“JTT, my primary school crush,” exclaims one admirer, while another adds, “Like many others my age, he was my childhood crush. I’m relieved he dodged the Hollywood craziness.”
“He was a child celebrity and adolescent idol; who knows what happened to him?” asks a third person. Hollywood rarely treats children well.”
Someone else commented on Thomas’ well-known hairstyle from Home Improvement, stating, “Of course he looks different today!” Not many 42-year-old guys stroll around with bowl haircuts. He made many people content during his early career.”
