For folks who grew up in the ’90s, Jonathan Taylor Thomas was the ultimate heartthrob. The star was everywhere as a teenager, from voicing Simba in “The Lion King” to appearing in films like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Tom and Huck.” So, where is he today? Well, he’s not on our TV screens or magazine covers like he once was, and it seems that this is by his design.
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If you’re wondering whatever happened to Thomas, you’re definitely not alone. When it comes to his private life, who he’s dating, and what his career looks like today, the former child star is certainly a mystery. Thomas clearly still has a fanbase. He has fan accounts on social media but no public accounts of his own. He is rarely photographed, but it makes the news when he is. It seems that Thomas simply no longer wants to be the it-guy he was as a teen. And it’s really no surprise.
Back in 1996, Thomas was just 13 years old and already a star. He told Premiere Magazine, “You can’t be trapped in this bubble called the acting industry,” adding, “The industry is neurotic and weird, and so when I go home and I play basketball with my friends, I’m not Jonathan Taylor Thomas. I’m just Jonathan. I don’t like hanging out with other actors and actresses.” These days, Thomas likely spends most of his time being “just Jonathan,” but what is he up to? Here’s what we know.
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He prefers a life out of the spotlight
Jonathan Taylor Thomas was just nine years old when he first appeared on TV screens in the series “The Bradys” in 1990. He quickly skyrocketed to stardom, doing voice acting work, gracing magazine covers, appearing in movies, and starring in the sitcom “Home Improvement.” It’s hard to imagine what a challenge that might be for a nine-year-old. In a 1994 interview, he explained that even though he was young, pursuing a life in the spotlight was his idea, noting that after filming a commercial at the age of eight, he realized that acting and fame seemed “pretty cool,” per People. According to him, “… I asked my mom and got signed up for acting lessons. I just thought the whole idea of being on TV, being recognized, and having a good time was interesting.”
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Still, most adults don’t have the exact opinions they had when they were eight years old, and it seems that Thomas is no exception to this. These days, he’s much more interested in keeping his private life private than being world-famous. “I never took the fame too seriously,” Thomas told People, adding, “It was a great period in my life, but it doesn’t define me. When I think back on the time, I look at it with a wink. I focus on the good moments I had, not that I was on a lot of magazine covers.”
Acting isn’t his focus anymore
Jonathan Taylor Thomas is best known for his role on “Home Improvement,” where he played Randy Taylor from 1991 through 1999. It was his decision to leave the show after eight years to go to college. “I’d been going nonstop since I was 8 years old,” he told People. He explained that he “wanted to go to school, to travel and have a bit of a break.” Thomas went on to attend Harvard University, Columbia University and Scotland’s University of St. Andrews and studied history and philosophy. He explained, “To sit in a big library amongst books and students, that was pretty cool,” adding, “It was a novel experience for me.”
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Thomas says that he has “no regrets” about his choice to step away from the career he’d known. And, it seems that he may not plan on returning to acting anytime soon. That doesn’t mean, however, that he’s ditching show business for good. Back in 2013, Thomas was back in L.A. where he was interested in shifting his focus to screenwriting and directing. “I watch a lot of movies, I hike, I stay up on shows and theater,” he explained. Per Us Weekly, back in a 1994 interview, Thomas explained, “You can’t base your life around one thing. So that’s why I focus on school, I play sports, I learn the technical side of [filmmaking]. Because sometime it’ll change, and I’ll have my education to fall back on.”
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He keeps his love life private
As a teenage heartthrob, Jonathan Taylor Thomas was plenty of people’s first celeb crush. Consequently, it’s only natural that the public has wanted to know the truth about Thomas’ sexuality and love life over the years. Even when he was still in the spotlight, folks were curious about who he may have been dating. This curiosity sparked rumors that he was gay. When Thomas was 17, he appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” where he said, “Pretty much in Hollywood, you’re not anyone until it’s rumored that you’re gay, so I wasn’t that upset about it.” He did, however, add that he was not gay, noting that “they’re rumors and you should always be careful with that internet stuff.”
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Quite a bit of time has passed since then, and the public still doesn’t know anything about Thomas’ private life. In 2021, however, he was back in the news after he was photographed out and about for the first time in seven years. While he wasn’t with a significant other, the sighting did let the public know a little something about his personal life. He was photographed in Hollywood, and he was walking two small dogs. So, whether or not he has a romantic partner in his life, it seems that he has some furry friends by his side.
