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Debbe Dunning Recalls Breaking Down After Tim Allen Floated Pamela Anderson’s Return to Home Improvement

Her new recollection accompanies her guest turn on ABC’s Shifting Gears season 2.

Overview

  • Dunning says she "cried like a baby" after overhearing Allen suggest that Anderson could return and that the two could "share the role" of the Tool Time assistant.
  • A stage manager reassured her that the role was not being shared, and a producer later said Allen was likely brainstorming and asked to dramatize the incident for the show.
  • The tension informed season 6’s "The Kiss & the Kiss-Off," which aired May 20, 1997 and featured Anderson guest-starring as Lisa.
  • Dunning says she had recently had a baby, which left her feeling especially vulnerable about job security.
  • She appears Wednesday in the Shifting Gears season 2 premiere on ABC with Tim Allen, Richard Karn and Patricia Richardson, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.