’90s Sitcom Star Looks Completely Unrecognizable Today

Back in the day, Richard Karn played Al Borland, who is the co-host of Home Improvement’s in-universe television show Tool Time. The sheer popularity of Home Improvement (it lasted for eight seasons) made the sight of Karn’s burly, plaid-wearing sidekick very familiar to millions of fans. Recently, though, the star was spotted shopping with his wife (Tudi Roche) in Los Angeles and looked unrecognizable to his original fans thanks to his slim appearance as well as his white hair and beard.

As alluded to earlier, Richard Karn’s Home Improvement outfit was a very familiar sight: alongside Tim Allen, he was always rocking some blue jeans and plaid (a bit like the TV show equivalent of the Brawny paper towel mascot).

However, when he was spotted in Los Angeles, he looked less like the co-host of Tool Time and more like a grandfather on his way to play golf. Don’t get us wrong: he looks great in his golf shirt, navy shorts, and slip-on trainers, but his fit here is basically the polar opposite of what Al Borland wore in the heyday of the hit sitcom.

Of course, Richard Karn himself is no stranger to changing with the times, so we shouldn’t be surprised to see his wardrobe following suit. After Home Improvement ended, the celebrity was best known for hosting the hit game show Family Feud. Years later, just when he had nearly fallen off the pop culture radar entirely, he began making appearances in the hit Hulu sitcom Pen15.

The conceit of this show is that its writers and stars (Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle) are playing fictionalized versions of themselves at the tender age of 13, which makes their interactions with actual child actors that much more amusing.

Richard Karn has made several appearances as Erskine’s father, a drummer for a not-so-successful cover band whose performances constantly keep him on the road. This is an example of the show’s meta-humor, as Erskine’s real-life father is Peter Erskine, a member of Weather Report and one of the most well-respected jazz drummers in the music industry.

While the star no longer looks like he did when performing on Home Improvement, we were happy to see Richard Karn looking so healthy when out and about in Los Angeles. We’d be even happier to see the talented actor headline his own new series, especially after being such a great part of Hulu’s hilarious Pen15. In the meantime, we just want to ask the sitcom star a very important question: where can we snag that flag golf shirt, and will it make us look nearly as good? 

Source: DailyMail