Tim Allen reveals truth of what happened to 'Last Man Standing' in new interview

Comedian Tim Allen recently revealed the truth of what happened to his hit-ABC show "Last Man Standing," after it was abruptly cancelled earlier this year. Network executives cancelled the show despite having very high ratings. Many accused the network of playing politics, but they denied politics played a role in the show's cancellation.

What did he say?

"It tore me up. Every aspect of (that show), everything about it, I loved. I was grateful every day," he said recently in an interview with the San Luis Obispo Tribune. Allen explained:

• The cancellation was a shock because it "was right in the middle of us re-upping everybody because it was the strongest year we’ve had. [The timing] seemed mean. It probably wasn’t, but it just felt mean. It gave anybody on my staff little or no time to find another job."
• No way to know if politics played a role: "There’s no way that you’d ever get anybody who made the decision to cop to that. It’s all conjecture."
• ABC dismissed a large chunk of America and its viewers with the decision: "The fan base, they dismissed. The fact that it showed great diversity of thought and entertainment, they dismissed. That didn’t seem to matter...I think they made a terrible mistake with a very creative project. It could have done so many things."
• The show was so popular because the cast respected its audience: "We treated religion with respect. We treated the family with respect."
• Hollywood ignores Americans who don't think like them: "I know they ignore them! Just watch what’s on TV. Look at the crop of television shows coming out and tell me who they’re trying to interest. It’s a very small group that thinks it knows what’s best for the rest of us. There’s a huge fan base of people out there that don’t need to have opinions shoved down their throat. They have their own opinions."

Flashback: What did Allen say after the show was cancelled?

What did Allen say about Trump?

When asked how he would grade Trump's initial months in the White House, Allen said his report card is "incomplete."

Allen explained:

• "There’s been a constant flood of [people] keeping this guy from doing his job. That is something I feel bad about. People want to crash the plane even though we’re all on it."
• Allen's advice for America: "Give the guy a chance to do the job before you condemn the job he’s doing."
• He's disappointed that: Trump "hasn’t gotten to infrastructure."
• Allen's biggest disappointment: "Is that people have not realized the potential ally and the potential resource you have in this dude, to put him on a job that he’s very well equipped to do."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the San Luis Obispo Tribune.