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"I never took the fame too seriously. 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.” After his years as one of the biggest teen heartthrobs of the 1990s, Jonathan Taylor Thomas-- or “JTT” to his legions of fangirls -- walked away from the acting to pursue other interests. He did not walk away empty-handed, however. In fact, the former Home Improvement star and voice of the original Lion King’s Simba, racked up quite a fortune over his years in the business. 

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In one well-known episode of Home Improvement, Jonathan Taylor Thomas’s character, Randy, joined his brother in a scheme to get rich quick by keeping a portion of the money they’d collected for a charity. In reality, Thomas doesn’t have any reason to steal because he’s got plenty of cash himself. Just how rich is he? Here’s a closer look.

Making it Big

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Jonathan Taylor Weiss was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on September 8, 1991. He grew up in Sacramento, California but moved to Los Angeles after his parents’ divorce.  

Thomas’s first television appearance was in 1990 when he was cast on The Bradys, a spin-off of the hit 1970s sitcom, The Brady Bunch. But his career-making break came the next year with the debut of Home Improvement. This show not only made him a household name -- especially with households with teenage girls in them -- but also made him tremendously wealthy. While Taylor only dabbled in bit roles and voiceover work since giving up the profession, his net worth is in the neighborhood of $16 million. 

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Many child stars are known for squandering their massive fortunes on the partying lifestyle. However, Jonathan Taylor Thomas went in a different direction. He told People magazine of his decision to take a hiatus, “I’d been going nonstop since I was 8 years old. I wanted to go to school, to travel, and have a bit of a break.”

Another thing Thomas would be happy to leave behind? His three-initial moniker. “I’m over that. I’ve always been over that,” he once told Conan O'Brien. 

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Rich in Wealth and Wisdom

Certainly, pursuing interests outside of acting was a bit easier for Thomas given his resources. But he wasn’t just rich; he was also smart, as evidenced by his choice of college: Harvard. He studied history and philosophy at the Ivy League leader and also pursued additional studies at Columbia and Scotland’s St. Andrew’s University. 

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And while Thomas may no longer spend much time in front of the camera, he has expressed interest in becoming “the next Ron Howard” by transitioning from child stardom to directing. Perhaps  it’s his unique perspective on the business that has enabled him to steer clear of the pitfalls encountered by other actors who also got their start at an early age. “How serious do you take this stuff? I mean, you should be focused on doing a good job, but...every job has an end. I think most [fallen child stars] weren’t prepared for the end. I mean, it’s not the end of your life! You can’t base your life around one thing.” 

Thomas also distinguished himself from his peers by managing to stay out of the spotlight for bad behavior off the set. In fact, his image remains squeaky clean. He's also maintained his privacy, and little information is available regarding how he spends his money except that his first car was a sensible 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser.  He even reportedly turned down a job that would have multiplied his already-ample fortune: the role that eventually went to Jason Biggs in the movie American Pie.

Thomas also opted out of another potential windfall: Home Improvement's series finale in May of 1999. While he wrote it off to a timing issue, the decision left his former castmates somewhat confused and disgruntled. Said his former co-star Richard Karn, “Jonathan’s life at that point wasn’t necessarily all his own life. His mom was also deciding what he should or shouldn’t do. That comes down to a particular parental guidance idea that she had. I think Jonathan really would have rather done the episode.”

That being said, it Taylor’s closeness with his vigilant mother may have helped Thomas keep his feet on the ground and his money in the bank. The New York Times once wrote, “Mr. Thomas has worked steadily in high-profile projects with the support, but not the interference, of his family,” while Premier praised his mother for being “seemingly more intent on the development of [Taylor’s] brain and heart than his bank account.” 

This isn’t to say a return to the industry is out of the question. In fact, over the past decade Taylor guest-starred on four episodes of the Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing, and directed a handful of episodes, too. Said Allen of Thomas, “This is a kid that’s really intelligent. He likes directing, he loves this business, but he’s not sure that this is what he wants to do.”