Richard Karn From ‘90s Sitcom ‘Home Improvement’ Looks Completely Unrecognizable 25 Years Later

Decades after playing Al Borland on Home Improvement, Richard Karn appeared on the streets of Los Angeles with his wife Tudi Roche as they went grocery shopping. The ‘90s sitcom star kept it simple with a golf shirt, shorts, and a pair of slip-on sneakers as he strutted the city while on the phone.

Karn looked different and unrecognizable, as he now lost some weight and left his gray hair to flourish. He still has his beard, which is mostly silver all through and well-trimmed. Karn looked handsome and fit for 64 and the lurking cameras made sure to capture that.

Richard Karn 25 years after ‘Home Improvement’

Karn’s character starred alongside Tim Allen’s Taylor, who was the co-host for the Tool Time show in Home Improvement. The series ended in 1999, and Karn continued his hosting duties in real life on Family Feud and then Game Show Network’s Bingo America in 2008.

Interestingly, actor Stephen Tobolowsky was originally cast as Al but got replaced by Karn due to scheduling issues. Karn landed the role by fate, thanks to Tudi, who convinced him to move to Los Angeles, where he met the agent who encouraged him to audition.

Life after ‘Home Improvement’

After Home Improvement came more opportunities for Karn as he became a fan favorite. He did commercials, hosted shows, and appeared in The Strokes’ music video for “Someday” as the Family Feud host against Guides by Voices. He also starred in the second MVP series, Most Vertical Primate and Mr. Blue Sky in the 2000s, and a few episodes of That ‘70s Show.

Aside from his acting career, Karn is also a successful author in the home improvement genre. He released two books— House Broken: How I Remodeled My Home for Just Under Three Times the Original Bid and Handy at Home: Tips on Improving Your Home from America’s Favorite Handyman with former CBS editorial director George Mair. Karn is the father of one, and he is with Tudi, his spouse of nearly four decades.