Jonathan Taylor Thomas has finally emerged after an eight-year hiatus.

On June 20, the 39-year-old “Home Improvement” star was spotted wearing jeans, a navy zip-up hoodie, gray New Balance sneakers, and a New York Mets baseball cap.

He was described as “relaxed looking” by one eyewitness.

His black face mask was pushed down over his chin and he wore sunglasses.

During his rare outing, Thomas multitasked by walking his two dogs on leashes, checking his phone, and vaping at the same time.

Credit: Coleman-Rayner

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This is the first time in nearly eight years that Thomas has been photographed in public.

The 39-year-old actor was last seen on television in his sitcom Last Man Standing, where he reunited with his Home Improvement father, Tim Allen. Between 2013 and 2015, Thomas appeared in four episodes of the show and directed three others. He hadn’t been on television since a 2005 episode of Veronica Mars before this.

In 1998, he left the Tim Allen-led sitcom to concentrate on his education. He attended Harvard University and studied philosophy and history after graduating from Chaminade College Preparatory School in 2000. In 2010, he received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University’s School of General Studies.

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Thomas has made guest appearances on various shows after leaving Home Improvement, including Ally McBeal, Smallville, and 8 Simple Rules. He also appeared as an animated character on The Wild Thornberrys and The Simpsons.

In 1996, the I’ll Be Home for Christmas actor told Premiere magazine, “You can’t be trapped in this bubble called the acting industry. 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.”

He discussed his influence as an actor and how it affected him in 1997.

In 1997, he told the New York Times of his fan base, “You are a part of their life, and there is a lot that is owed to them. But it’s difficult because you want to make everyone happy, but if you try to do that, you’re setting yourself up for failure.”

He also confessed that growing up in the spotlight was difficult for him. That’s why, after eight seasons as Randy Taylor on “Home Improvement,” he opted to fade into the background.

“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,” he once said. “To sit in a big library amongst books and students, that was pretty cool. It was a novel experience for me.”

In 1999, he stated that leaving the family sitcom was the right decision. “Had I stayed at the show and tried to do academically what I’m doing now, I would’ve, you know, put myself in an early grave,” he stated at the time.

Thomas previously spoke with PEOPLE about his choice to quit Hollywood, stating that he had no regrets.

Before walking away, Thomas said that he “never took fame too seriously.” He said, “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,” he added. “I focus on the good moments I had, not that I was on a lot of magazine covers.”

Today, nothing is known about the “Lion King” voice actor’s personal life, and he appears to want it that way.