Tim Allen Breaks a 60-Year Silence With Words He Never Thought He’d Say
For more than six decades, Tim Allen carried a wound that never truly healed — a quiet rage toward the man whose reckless actions robbed him of his father.
But in a moment of unexpected clarity, that burden lifted — not in a therapist’s office, not on a soundstage, but at the memorial of a man Allen never met.
The Home Improvement star, now 72, took to X (formerly Twitter) on September 24 to share how a widow’s words at her husband’s funeral pierced a place in him long locked away.
“When Erika Kirk spoke the words on the man who killed her husband: That man… that young man… I forgive him, that moment deeply affected me,” Allen wrote.
“I have struggled for over 60 years to forgive the man who killed my Dad. I will say those words now as I type: I forgive the man who killed my father. Peace be with you all.”
Allen’s father, Gerald Dick, died in 1964 when a drunk driver veered across the median on I-70 in Colorado and collided with the family car. Tim, just 11 at the time, wasn’t in the vehicle, but the loss was seismic — shaping the rest of his life.
Years later, Allen opened up about that day during an episode of Inside the Actors Studio, saying:
“If you haven’t had a death in your family — and I don’t suggest it — it changes everything. From your cells and DNA, everything turns a different color.”
He spoke of hating the month of November, of carrying that bitterness like a scar. In an interview earlier this year with Mike Rowe, he called his father “the love of my life,” describing him as a kind, present man who had been “taken too soon.”
But none of that anger was enough to stop what happened on September 21 — the day of Charlie Kirk’s memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The 31-year-old conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA had been shot and killed while giving a speech at Utah Valley University. His alleged killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, is in custody.
At the service, Erika Kirk — now a widow raising two young children — stood before thousands and delivered a message that stunned even the most hardened hearts.
“My husband, Charlie, wanted to save young men — just like the one who took his life,” she said.
“Our Savior said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. That young man… I forgive him. I forgive him because it’s what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do.”
Her words were simple but seismic: “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer is love — always love.”
Not every speaker agreed. Former President Donald Trump, also in attendance, acknowledged the depth of Charlie’s compassion but admitted his own limits.
“That’s where I disagreed with Charlie,” he said. “I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry, I am sorry, Erika.” He added with a smirk, “Charlie’s angry, looking down, he’s angry at me now.”
But for Tim Allen, Erika’s words opened a door that had remained locked for most of his life. In a moment of raw honesty, he let go of a weight he’d been carrying since boyhood.
Conclusion
Tim Allen’s journey through grief has been lifelong — a silent ache woven into the fabric of his identity. But in the echo of a widow’s grace-filled eulogy, he found the courage to speak words that had once felt impossible: I forgive the man who killed my father.
Her message, spoken in mourning, became a balm for a stranger. And in that moment, Allen reminded us all that even after 60 years, healing is still possible — and that forgiveness, though difficult, can be the doorway to peace.