Tim Allen remembers Kirstie Alley, praises her for standing up to critics

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Stars remember Kirstie Alley: 'I loved her'

Actors Dean Cain and Wally Crowder pay tribute to the life of Kirstie Alley, who passed away at the age of 71

Tim Allen praised the late Kirstie Alley following her death on Monday at the age of 71 after a brief battle with colon cancer.

The 69-year-old actor told Fox News Digital he was "so sad" to hear of his "For Richer or Poorer" co-star's passing and reflected on how he wanted her to be remembered.

"I wish I could accentuate how independent her thought was and how beautiful her thought was and how organic her thought was in her heart. It's difficult, and she never put that on another person," said Allen.

Tim Allen praised the late Kirstie Alley following the actress's death on Monday at the age of 71 after a brief battle with colon cancer. (Getty)

KIRSTIE ALLEY DEAD AT 71

"Of course she liked people that disagreed with her, and she said that and how important it was to have other people — it's confusing when you hear the word 'tolerant' and then you get attacked."

In an 2021 episode of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Alley expressed her shock over the extreme backlash she received for her support of former President Donald Trump. 

The star recalled working on a project five years prior when she first voiced her interest in voting for Trump. Following her public expression, some producers revealed they had similar intentions but kept quiet out of fear they would "never work again" – and Alley said she knew they were right.

"People go, ‘You're so brave.'  I go, 'No, I think I'm stupid,'" she said. "Because honestly, it is a real situation. And it is a real blackballing situation. And it's so strange to me because artists are free-thinkers for the most part."

Tim Allen commended Kirstie Alley for "how independent her thought was and how beautiful her thought was." (Facebook)

Alley told Carlson that she had never considered herself a very political person and, referring to her time starring on the popular '80s sitcom "Cheers," she recalled how differing political views were always welcome.

The actress pointed to how many of her co-stars throughout her career would commit a variation of illegal or socially shameful acts, like doing heavy drugs without facing the same repercussions many people today have for supporting conservative thinking.

"You can be cooking meth and sleeping with hookers but as long as, apparently, you didn't vote for Trump," she said. "I feel like I'm in the 'Twilight Zone' a bit with the whole concept of it."

"On Twitter, I had many celebrities follow me, and now I think three follow me," Alley told Carlson at the time. "I'm the same person. I'm the girl who voted for Obama, twice. And I'm like, ‘Oh, so you liked me when I voted for Obama, and now you're this?’ And it's made me have to rethink, weirdly, my whole friendships, all my friendships."

Alley supported Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections and was outspoken about some of her conservative beliefs on social media.

Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley starred together in the 1997 romantic comedy "For Richer or Poorer." They are pictured together in a photo from the movie's set. (Lawrence Schwartzwald/Sygma via Getty Images)

Allen, who has spoken out about the backlash he has received over his conservative values, told Fox News Digital that Alley was "brilliant" in expressing her openness in regard to other people's viewpoints. 

"She put it, so much better than I can, just brilliant," he said. "'Of course, I care about the environment. Of course I care about people's rights and all this.'"

"'Of course I do. And I love other people's opinions.' And that she just kept saying that," he added. 

"And it points to people that attack you and call themselves tolerant. You can't do both of those. It gets very confusing for somebody who loves — I love other people's opinions. I'm around a lot of different opinions."

The "Home Improvement" alum reiterated that it was "difficult" to be around people who "attack you" and "call themselves 'tolerant.'"

"It doesn't make much sense," Allen added.

"And I'm not sure if we're talking about the same word because I love other people's opinions. And she was like that. She was amazing, like that way," he concluded.

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Allen and Alley starred together in the 1997 romantic comedy "For Richer or Poorer," in which they played a wealthy Manhattan couple who find themselves in both marital and financial trouble. They are eventually forced to go into hiding and pose as members of the Amish community to hide from the IRS.

After news of Alley's passing broke on Monday night, Allen paid tribute to her on social media. 

"A sweet soul pass on in Kristie Alley. Sad, sad news. Prayers for all her family," he wrote on Twitter.

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Fox News Digital's Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.

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