Tim Allen Assures Fans He’s Alive After He Trends on Twitter
Leave it to the internet to stir up celebrity news — whether it’s true or not. Last Man Standing star Tim Allen became a trending topic on July 30 leaving fans frantically searching for a reason why. Here’s what we know.
Tim Allen becomes a trending topic on Twitter
In the early morning hours of July 30, Toy Story voice actor Tim Allen became a trending topic on Twitter. When a celebrity trends on the platform, it can mean one of a few things: a relationship has ended or began, a baby is on the way, or they’ve died.
For The Last Man Standing actor, many fans chimed in, assuming he died. Allen isn’t the first or the last Hollywood star to become victim to a death hoax. It happens to 98-year-old Betty White every few months.
Based on all accounts that say otherwise, he’s very much alive and well. However, it brought up some older news about the actor.
Allen’s previous arrest resurfaced
When a name trends, some use the opportunity to dig up old dirt. Such is the case with Allen who, in 1978, Allen became a part of a drug trafficking scheme in Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport.
Allen was arrested for possession of more than 650 grams of cocaine, according to CBS News. “Tim the Tool Man Taylor,” pleases guilty and offered up names of other dealers in exchange for a shorter sentence.
Likewise, Allen was released on parole in 1981 after serving more than two years in the Federal Correctional Institution in Sandstone, Minnesota.
Needless to say, some reposted Allen’s mugshot to keep his name in the trending topics with no new information to add.
Twitter users — and Tim Allen himself — try to figure out the trend
Like much of the internet world, Allen seems to be trending because he’s trending. In other words, only some initially knew why “Tim Allen” became a trending topic but tweeted asking why he was a trending topic. Therefore, he continued trending.
“I saw Tim Allen was trending and clicked on it to see why- only to discover that the majority of the tweets were asking why Tim Allen is trending. So basically Tim Allen is trending because Tim Allen is trending. And that’s Twitter in a nutshell,” one fan tweeted.
“Get on Twitter. See Tim Allen trending. Check tweets. It’s only tweets asking why Tim Allen is trending. I believe the simulation is broken and Twitter is actually cannibalizing itself as we speak,” another posted.
Some made a running joke of the star, posting a “RIP” tweet but using another celebrity or high-profile headshot to further prove you can’t always believe what you read. Regardless, Allen is alive and might even join in on the fun at some point.
The fuss apparently began when Twitter sports bloggers @BarstoolBigCat and @PardonMyTake used a 24-hour live stream to make a random celebrity trend — something their fans already knew. They chose Allen, to which the Home Improvement star responded.
“Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to a beautiful day in Michigan only to find out I’m dead?! How did it happen? Can anyone tell me? I’m DYING to know. #DeadManWalking” he tweeted.
“Ok, I figured it out. Some nosey neighbor saw what I was having for lunch and ‘figured’ I was going to die,” he tweeted with a photo of hotdogs.
There you have it. Allen is OK and ready to take on the ninth season of Last Man Standing, which was renewed in May.
