Last Man Standing Actress Says There's No Beef About Kaitlyn Dever Leaving The Show

Last Man Standing Mike Baxter Tim Allen Eve Baxter Kaitlyn Dever Fox

(Image credit: Craig Sjodin / ABC)

Kaitlyn Dever has been a part of Last Man Standing since it began, starring as Mike and Vanessa Baxter’s youngest daughter Eve. Since the show returned for its Fox revival in Season 7, fans do not see Eve as often because Dever is exploring her burgeoning career. The Last Man Standing cast has no beef over her leaving the show, though.

It is just like Last Man Standing's Baxters to be supportive! Amanda Fuller, who plays Eve’s eldest sister Kristin, shared there are no hard feelings about Kaitlyn Dever pursuing her career outside of Last Man Standing. It turns out that Dever is still interested in starring in the series. Fuller told PopCulture:

Kaitlyn Dever is so deserving of her success. She hasn't changed a bit. She's not too good for us. You would think someone in her position could just be like, 'Okay, see you. I'm doing these things now,' and she is not at all. She'll reach out to us and be like, 'I'm not doing anything for the next few weeks. Put me in, coach. She wants to be there with us anytime she can and it just means a lot to us that she still feels like she's part of the family and we're just happy to have her whenever we can have her. And, hopefully, if we get a nine, which I think is looking positive, she has time where she can be in it more.

See, no beef. It is not as if Kaitlyn Dever has left Last Man Standing, entirely. Dever ended up returning on a recurring basis in Season 7 and put in an appearance during the Season 8 premiere. As fans know, Eve remains a frequent topic of conversation despite her status off-screen, where she is in the Air Force Academy.

A recent episode of Last Man Standing dealt with Mike and Vanessa both coming to terms with their youngest being out of the house. While she has been gone, Eve has not been overlooked. It sounds like Kaitlyn Dever has not forgotten about her either. If Season 9 gets the green-light from Fox, Amanda Fuller says Dever has shown interest in returning.

Last Man Standing had prepared fans for Eve Baxter to not be seen a whole lot ahead of Season 8. Thankfully, fans have had the excellent addition of foreign exchange student, Jen. Krista Marie Yu went from a guest spot in Season 7 to a series regular for Season 8.

It would be great to see Eve back interacting with the Baxters and Jen next season. Fans are waiting to see if Fox continues Last Man Standing’s impressive longevity with a Season 9 renewal first. For now, all eyes are on that impromptu Season 8 finale.

Due to TV season having to call an early end to production, Last Man Standing was not able to film its originally planned Season 8 finale. Despite that, the Fox comedy will conclude with an episode that has “feels like a cliffhanger,” according to Amanda Fuller. Will the season end without Kristin’s baby being born?

It seems like it. Kaitlyn Dever’s Eve is going to be an aunt again on Last Man Standing. Kristin and her husband, Ryan, are expecting their second child, a daughter. Hence, a visit from Aunt Eve would make sense next season. It seems unlikely that Eve will show up in the current Season 8 finale, which is set to air this month.

New episodes of Last Man Standing air Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. While you wait for word on Season 9 and Kaitlyn Dever returning for it, you check out this spring’s premieres to stay entertained. I think Eve would approve.

Britt Lawrence

Like a contented Hallmark movie character, Britt happily lives in the same city she grew up in. Along with movies and television, she is passionate about competitive figure skating. She has been writing about entertainment for 5 years, and as you may suspect, still finds it as entertaining to do as when she began.