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‘Toy Story’ Star Says Erika Kirk Inspired Him to Forgive His Dad’s Killer

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Tim Allen finds a way to forgive the driver who killed his dad.

Erika Kirk speaks during the memorial service for her husband, political activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10th while speaking at an event during his "American Comeback Tour" at Utah Valley University. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Home Improvement star Tim Allen has revealed how Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, has changed his own life. Erika revealed she had forgiven the man who took her husband’s life while speaking at the funeral for the slain right-wing activist. “I forgive him because it was what Christ did,” Kirk said. “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.” Allen, 72, the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story franchise, posted on X that her lesson in forgiveness had “deeply affected me.” The actor’s father, Gerald M. Dick, died when his car collided with a drunk driver in 1964, when Allen was 11. Allen, who adapted his middle name Alan for his professional surname, revealed his dad “broke his neck and died in my mom’s lap right there,” during a 2006 episode of Inside the Actors Studio. Allen posted on X, “I have struggled for over 60 years to forgive the man who killed my Dad. I will say those words now as I type: “I forgive the man who killed my father.”

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