Jonathan Taylor Thomas Visited Tim Allen onShifting GearsSet, Kat Dennings Says: 'I Was Losing My Mind'

Mar. 15, 2025

Kat Denningstried to keep her cool after running into her childhood celebrity crush,Jonathan Taylor Thomas.While appearing on the Jan. 7 episode ofThe View, theShifting Gearsstar, 38, opened up about the “fun” special guests who came to visit her and her costarTim Allenon set of ABC’s latest sitcom.After admitting that Thomas was her “first love,” Dennings recalled watching him onHome Improvementalongside Allen when she was growing up.From left: Kat Dennings and Jonathan Taylor Thomas.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty; Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock"For anyone who doesn’t know,Home Improvement— Tim Allen’s first big sitcom — Jonathan Taylor Thomas played his little son," she explained. “And when I was like, 7 and watching the show, I was in love with Jonathan Taylor Thomas as anyone in this age bracket was.““So he came to set to visit and I was losing my mind, but I was trying to act cool and I think I succeeded until now, because now he can see that I was not playing it cool at all,” she laughed, noting how it was “really sweet” to see Allen and Thomas reuniting after all these years.Home Improvementran for eight seasons from 1991 to 1999 and starred Allen alongside Thomas,Zachery Ty Bryanand Taran Noah Smith. Over the course of its run, the series earned three Emmy nominations for outstanding comedy series.(L-) Tim Allen and Kat Dennings on ‘Shifting Gears’.ABCShifting Gearsfollows Matt (Allen), a “stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop” but when his estranged daughter Riley (Dennings) and her two kids move back into his home, “the real restoration begins,” per the show’s logline.In addition to Dennings and Allen, other cast members includeSeann William Scottas Gabriel, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter and Barrett Margolis as Georgia.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Shifting Gearspremieres Jan. 8 at 8 pm ET on ABC.

Kat Denningstried to keep her cool after running into her childhood celebrity crush,Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

While appearing on the Jan. 7 episode ofThe View, theShifting Gearsstar, 38, opened up about the “fun” special guests who came to visit her and her costarTim Allenon set of ABC’s latest sitcom.

After admitting that Thomas was her “first love,” Dennings recalled watching him onHome Improvementalongside Allen when she was growing up.

From left: Kat Dennings and Jonathan Taylor Thomas.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty; Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty; Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

“For anyone who doesn’t know,Home Improvement— Tim Allen’s first big sitcom — Jonathan Taylor Thomas played his little son,” she explained. “And when I was like, 7 and watching the show, I was in love with Jonathan Taylor Thomas as anyone in this age bracket was.”

“So he came to set to visit and I was losing my mind, but I was trying to act cool and I think I succeeded until now, because now he can see that I was not playing it cool at all,” she laughed, noting how it was “really sweet” to see Allen and Thomas reuniting after all these years.

Home Improvementran for eight seasons from 1991 to 1999 and starred Allen alongside Thomas,Zachery Ty Bryanand Taran Noah Smith. Over the course of its run, the series earned three Emmy nominations for outstanding comedy series.

(L-) Tim Allen and Kat Dennings on ‘Shifting Gears’.ABC

ABC

Shifting Gearsfollows Matt (Allen), a “stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop” but when his estranged daughter Riley (Dennings) and her two kids move back into his home, “the real restoration begins,” per the show’s logline.

In addition to Dennings and Allen, other cast members includeSeann William Scottas Gabriel, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter and Barrett Margolis as Georgia.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Shifting Gearspremieres Jan. 8 at 8 pm ET on ABC.

source: people.com