Tim Allen’s ‘Last Man Standing’ Wife Nancy Travis Reveals The Most Difficult Part Of Working With Him

On Wednesday night, Nancy Travis reunited with her former Last Man Standing husband Tim Allen on his new sitcom Shifting Gears.

Hours before her episode aired, Travis spoke out to reveal the most difficult part about working with Allen. Indeed, this is sure to only make fans love Allen even more!

‘Most Challenging Thing’ About Working With Allen

Travis, 63, spent a full decade acting alongside Allen, 71, on Last Man Standing from 2011 until 2021. During that time, Travis learned that since he comes from a standup comedy background, Allen “likes to hold the stage.”

“I guess the most challenging thing is just… is kind of keeping him in his lane,” Travis told People Magazine with a laugh. “It’s sort of keeping him focused on the work at hand, which is also part of his genius [and] also his improvisational ability.” 

Despite this, Travis still loves working with Allen. Even after working with him for so many years, Travis felt that she was still learning “a lot” from Allen about comedy during her Shifting Gears guest appearance.

“I think he’s a master at that,” she explained. “So I always go into it, not just as an equal, but also as a student.”

Related: Tim Allen Reunites With His ‘Last Man Standing’ Wife Nancy Travis In New Sitcom ‘Shifting Gears’

Allen’s Loyalty

Another thing that Travis loves about Allen is his sense of loyalty, a rarity in Hollywood. When she got to the Shifting Gears set, she was both shocked and overjoyed to see so many familiar faces from the Last Man Standing set working behind the scenes on Allen’s new show.

“It was very much like a family reunion and it was just so wonderful to see these faces that we shared so much time with, that I shared so much time with, and it was great,” she said, gushing over the “warm” atmosphere on the set.

“It really did feel like the best kind of a family reunion, not the kind with, you know, a drunk cousin spilling all the family’s garbage,” she added.

Travis went on to tease that since Allen is so loyal, fans shouldn’t be surprised to see other Last Man Standing stars making appearances on Shifting Gears.

“Tim is very loyal to the people that he’s worked with, which is probably why I was invited to be on the show as well,” she stated. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you start to see a lot of Last Man Standing people showing up on Shifting Gears.”

Related: Tim Allen’s New Sitcom ‘Shifting Gears’ Is Officially A Hit – ‘There’s Nothing Like It’

Travis’ Shifting Gears Appearance

Wednesday night’s episode of Shifting Gears was the show’s first Valentine’s Day episode. Travis guest starred as Charlotte, a woman who has been a widow for five years. She ends up meeting Allen’s character of Matt. Charlotte ultimately gives Matt some powerful advice as he deals with the loss of his wife.

“I almost felt like I was the ghost of his past wife coming back to nudge his character forward in his current,” Travis said of her character. “I just thought she’s almost like a little spirit angel coming through and giving him a little pinch.”

The chemistry that Allen and Travis share onscreen is still incredibly palpable, even after all these years. We can only hope that this is only the first of many Shifting Gears appearances for Travis!