Patricia Richardson has opened up about how her pay disparity on Residence Enchancment led to the sequence’ finish.
“Once I took the job, they stated it wasn’t meant to be the Tim Allen present. It was meant to be our present,” the actress instructed the Los Angeles Occasions.
However when it got here to pay and credit, Richardson signifies the 2 weren’t handled equally.
Richardson recalled that for the present’s third season, she managed to renegotiate her contract to safe a assure of 4 episodes per season targeted on her character, Jill Taylor, together with a revenue share level that entitled her to a backend share of the sequence’ earnings.
“I knew that residuals simply get much less and fewer, and I felt that I’m going to finish up being an enormous a part of no matter this present is,” she stated. “It’s going to work due to me nearly as a lot as due to Tim.”
Whereas Richardson was capable of share her enter on her character, guiding the male-dominated writers room on find out how to write for the matriarch of the Taylor household, she was denied a producer credit score, she says, arguing that was allegedly attributable to a concern that it could set a precedent for different actors. Nevertheless, Allen was credited as an govt advisor within the first season and later turned an govt producer through the sixth.
Residence Enchancment co-creator and govt producer Carmen Finestra denied this, claiming it was seemingly Disney’s choice to not give Richardson the producer credit score.
When the present reached its eighth season, Richardson needed to depart it, as she needed to spend extra time together with her youngsters following her divorce from Ray Baker. In accordance with the actress, each she and Allen have been on the identical web page concerning the sequence needing to finish after its prolonged run.
She defined that she obtained a proposal of $1 million per episode, whereas Allen was provided $2 million. Utilizing the pay disparity to her benefit, Richardson proposed that ABC ought to pay her the identical quantity as Allen and provides her an govt producer title, or else she would go away.
“I knew that Disney would under no circumstances pay me that a lot. That was my method to say ‘no’ and was a bit of little bit of a flip-off to Disney,” defined Richardson. “I’d been there all this time, and so they by no means even paid me a 3rd of what Tim was making, and I used to be working my ass off. I used to be a giant cause why ladies have been watching.”
As she predicted, her proposal was rejected, she recalled, and the sequence got here to an finish.
“I used to be mad at Tim as a result of he was leaving me alone being the one individual saying no, which made me really feel horrible and just like the dangerous man and he was upset with me for leaving,” Richardson stated of the strain between her and Allen towards the tip of the sequence.
The previous co-stars went on to reunite in 2015 for Final Man Standing, although Richardson confirmed the 2 haven’t stored in contact.
Richardson additionally argued that, whereas followers have reconnected with a lot of their favourite TV reveals from the ’90s due to streaming, Residence Enchancment hasn’t obtained the identical therapy regardless of being a success sitcom.
“Hollywood hates our present,” she stated. “Once they speak about what one of the best reveals of the ‘90s have been, they won’t give Residence Enchancment credit score.”
She believes that Allen being a vocal conservative has damage former followers’ connection to the present. “I feel it’s about Tim, and it’s about his politics,” stated Richardson. She added that she doesn’t personally like his political leanings, both.
This hasn’t stopped her from championing the sequence. “I’m actually pleased with what it meant to our viewers,” she stated. “I don’t care what anyone says, I’m pleased with the legacy.”
A rep for Allen instructed the Occasions he wasn’t obtainable to remark.