Here's What Happened to America's Famous Handyman Bob Vila since He Went off the Air

Bob Vila was America’s pioneer handyman, who helped many families renovate and rebuild their homes through his reality show. Three decades on, nothing has changed much.

Vila rose to fame with his television show “This Old House,” in 1979, and his last television appearance came in 2007. Years later, he continues to teach America the art of rebuilding their homes.

The original handyman still receives over millions of views on his “how to” videos which were posted online on his YouTube channel.

Although, today, there are many people providing home renovating tips on the internet, Vila’s old lessons and instructions are still popular on YouTube. The star’s expertise in home renovation is also published on “BobVila.com.”

Besides being a public figure, Vila also serves as the chairman of his town’s architectural commission and the national spokesman for the National Pest Management Association.

Vila explained that his videos, which started with “This Old House,” were considered “how-to-instructional programming.” However, these days, they are more “infotainment” content. He said:

“They really have kind of capitalized on the soap opera aspect of things. There have been so many different shows that I don't watch them, so I don't really know who's doing what to whom in this day and age, but it is such a popular subject because it's a shelter."

He also explained that his show, despite being reality television, did not revolve around people “hating each other” but rather focused on “dealing with real issues.”

The TV star is often referred to as a person who championed reality television. However, he told during a 2015 interview that he doesn’t like to think of himself “in terms of legacy.”

Vila, whose television career began as an accident, continues to be a major influence on people to this day.

He explained that he is often stopped by young people who claim that he influenced them into becoming a “contractor, architect, interior designer or a plumber.”

“As the host, I had the opportunity to inspire a lot of people to go into building professions, and that's very satisfying,” he added, referring to his TV show.