SALT LAKE CITY — Actor and comedian Tim Allen is speaking out about the end of his ABC sitcom "Last Man Standing" and why he believes the show was taken off the air.
During a Tuesday appearance on "Norm Macdonald Live," Allen said that "there is nothing more dangerous right now than a likable conservative."
On Wednesday, Allen spoke with the Deseret News and when asked whether he believes there is a place for likable conservative characters on network TV, he replied, "No, not in this present environment."
"Last Man Standing" was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and broadcast by ABC beginning in 2011, but it was canceled in May 2017. It attracted between 7 and 8 million weekly viewers.
Allen described his character, Mike Baxter, as more of a "snarky" conservative who was occasionally flawed.
"He tells constant jokes about big government and things that conservatives get labeled with," Allen said. "The conservatives I know have nothing but admiration for people in trouble and people of different persuasions."
Allen said he believes conservatives are more diverse in reality than a single character on a TV show.
"Conservatives are all over the map on skin tone. Conservatives are men and women. Conservatives are gay and straight," Allen said. "They’re just bad at marketing themselves.
"This guy, Mike Baxter, was much better at marketing himself literally because we had liberal writers."
Allen said he loved "Last Man Standing" because it did not cater one person over another.
"Conservatives understood and admired a liberal point of view, and liberals understood and accepted — and at times admired — a conservative point of view," Allen said. "That show brought all of us together and it was an amazing occurrence."