Jimmy Kimmel’s gift-giving can use some improvement.
On Thursday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the host presented Tim Allen with an early birthday gift after the actor expressed his interest in owning a “real tank” — like Jay Leno “who got a tank from the President of Syria.”
After unwrapping a book on tanks, the soon-to-be 73-year-old said, “Oh, look at that!”
“I couldn’t get you a tank because I don’t know the President of Syria like Jay Leno does,” Kimmel explained, referencing Allen’s erroneous tale.
However, Allen couldn’t hide his disappointment for long as he told Kimmel candidly, “I’ve got to be honest with you. I hate these books.”
While the “Shifting Gears” star appreciated the gesture, he explained that he isn’t a fan of coffee table books and doesn’t have time to look through them.
However, he kept the book because it included a few images of tanks he hadn’t seen.
Though the “Home Improvement” actor claimed the President of Syria had gifted Leno a military vehicle, it was actually the King of Jordan, Abdullah II.
In May, the former talk show host revealed on Spikes Car Radio that Abdullah had his “royal jet” drop off a military tank, leading Leno to register as an “arms dealer” because he was “bringing in heavy equipment.”
Most recently, Allen opened up about how being a father wasn’t part of his plan while growing up.
“I never really wanted to be a dad,” he told US Weekly. “I joke about it on stage; I’ve just never been a real fan of children.”
He shares daughter Katherine, 37, with his first wife, Laura Deibel, and daughter Elizabeth, 17, with his current wife, Jane Hajduk.
Allen went on to say that there is no manual for raising kids, adding that it was “a work in progress.”
The “Wild Hogs” star confessed that Hajduk, 59, would have loved to share five children with him, “because you learn on the first two.”
“With Kate, I was gone a lot, so her mom did most of the raising.” Allen continued. “I come from [a family of] seven boys and two girls, and it’s a very different world to me with girls. I have a different view of what will make a strong woman.”
The dad of two also admitted that he has “little interest” in “girl stuff,” like clothes and gossip, instead focusing on “learning finances, learning how to take care of yourself, and that works for boys and girls.”
The star also touched on his sobriety, detailing that he wasn’t sober during some of Katherine’s formative years.
“I made amends to her. With the younger one, I see how much different it is when I’ve been sober almost 30 years,” Allen told the outlet. “She never knew any of that guy. I’ve thought about it many times, and I’ve talked to Kate, and she doesn’t hold it against me.”
At 25, the comic was arrested in Michigan on drug trafficking charges, going on to spend two years in prison.
The sitcom star then got sober and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a Hollywood career.
In 1997, while starring on “Home Improvement,” he was arrested for driving under the influence.
He pleaded guilty and was ordered to counseling sessions, but chose to check into rehab instead.
“I’ve been drugs and alcohol-free for about 22 years,” Allen shared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in 2020.
“Because I had money and I was a star, people help, they enable you to get by. The program I practice, it’s all about as soon as you get it, you gotta give it away. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a day-to-day thing. You gotta reprise every day.”
If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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