Tim Allen made rare comments about how he considered taking his own life while serving time behind bars on drug charges.
During the Wednesday, October 1, episode of the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast, Allen, 72, reflected on how his father’s death when he was a child caused him to act out, which eventually led to him being arrested at age 25 on drug trafficking charges.
“I was just a kid. [I was busted for] picking it up. It was just like in a freaking movie [where it was] in a locker,” Allen recalled. “If you want to get into the details of it, I was treated just as badly as people of color. I was pigeonholed because I was a light-skinned guy from an upper middle class family.”
Allen thought the authorities were trying to “make an example” out of him. “I didn’t have a pre-sentence report. Most of the situation — as I look at it — was a setup. I wouldn’t have any idea where to sell this amount [of drugs],” he added. “It was predetermined what was going to happen to me way before I was in there.”
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Before finding success as a comedian and sitcom star, Allen was arrested in 1978 for possession of more than one pound of cocaine. He subsequently pleaded guilty to felony drug trafficking charges and was sentenced to two years in federal prison.
Allen told Mandel he was freaking out about serving time, saying, “[I made] horribly stupid jokes because I was in there. I was going, ‘I’m going to kill myself.’ So I was going to kill myself and the comedy part of me goes, ‘OK, how are we going to do this?’ My comedy part is always funny at the weirdest times.”
He continued: “[The comedy side of me would go], ‘I say we string ourselves up over the bar over there and kick the stool. But you know what’s going to happen? You’re going to screw it up and you’re going to be hanging there and people are going to spin you around like a piñata when they come back.’ I burst out laughing and I said, ‘Yeah, you’re probably right.’”
Mandel, 69, clarified with Allen whether suicide was a “serious consideration” at the time.
“Yes. Because … at that point, it was called the Rockefeller Act where any [drug charges] over a certain amount was life in prison,” he recalled. “They wanted to stop drugs like they’re trying to do now by increasing the sentence or putting people in prison. It didn’t work then.”
Since Allen was concerned about a harsh sentence, he claimed his lawyer convinced him to enter a guilty plea for something he “didn’t do,” adding, “That’s guilty to conspiracy to bring it into the country. Then it becomes a federal offense, not a state offense. Then the federal offense is different. I said, ‘Whatever.’”
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Mandel later asked again whether Allen had suicidal thoughts once he was behind bars.
“Of course. Then I get one old guy that was on the prison bus with me. He goes, ‘Just shut up, grow a beard and stop asking questions.’ He said, ‘You got to shut up. No one knows why you’re in here unless you tell them,’” the comedian recalled. “And he says, ‘Mind your own business and stop checking off the days.’”
Elsewhere in the podcast, Allen admitted he was “often” picked on by other inmates. When asked whether he formed any friendships, the actor said, “No. It’s not even funny. Two guys who really helped me through a lot of things, both of them were shot to death the day they got out.”
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