Times Ty Pennington Clapped Back At Social Media Haters

Ty Pennington may be one of the nicest guys on TV, but even this loveable HGTV star can't resist a clap back every now and then, especially when the trolls are out in force.

In 2018, Pennington was forced to hit back after a handful of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" stories ended in tragedy, including some families having their properties foreclosed on. "There's a couple of stories that families lost their home. We left them with a financial adviser. However, if the family chooses to triple-mortgage their house to start a business that they've never done before just to see if they can get into it, that's their own demise," the former host of the ABC show told The Wrap. "That's how you lose your home, is you're like, 'Oh, let's use it as a lottery ticket and see what we can get out of it.' And then you lose it because you can't make the payment," he added. However, that's not the only time the star has had to speak out to stop the negativity — and on more than one occasion, he's done it on social media.

In April 2024, a slew of "Rock The Block" viewers weren't happy when Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis were crowned the winners of the Season 5 of the HGTV series. So much so, they took to host Ty Pennington's Instagram page to let him know. "You must be removing a lot of comments with that garage sale win," one fan wrote, referring to the finale. Pennington screenshot the comment and posted it to his Instagram grid, alongside his response, which read in part, "I was not the judge and had no part in picking the winner." He also denied he'd deleted any comments on his page, adding, "I'm just the host and I thought all the homes were incredible." Pennington then finished his clap back by telling the overzealous fan, "Please remember it's just a TV show at the end of the day. Try to be kind."

Thankfully, the comments section of that post was met with a lot more positivity. Former "Rock The Block" contestant Anthony Elle even praised Pennington for his work as host both in front of and behind the camera, to he responded, "love u buddy."

In 2015, a 4Chan post body-shaming a man named Sean O'Brien went viral. The post featured two photos of O'Brien, who was dubbed "Dancing Man," with one showing him dancing and the other showing him looking devastated after onlookers laughed at him. O'Brien's story became the subject of a YouTube documentary titled "Dancing Man: The Documentary," which Ty Pennington shared a link to on X, formerly known as Twitter. Pennington also posted some poignant words for all those who bullied O'Brien — or anyone else, for that matter. 

"Bullying is never ok. From near or far, or from behind a screen. Never. Support & lift each other up. Always," the former "Ty Breaker" host bluntly wrote in January 2019. "If you can't say anything nice, then just smile. If you can't type, retweet, or emoji anything nice, then sit on your hands," he added.

Ty Pennington often shows off his interior design projects on social media, and, in March 2024, he treated fans to an Instagram photo of what appeared to be his kitchen in New York. "A modern kitchen that still feels cozy," he captioned the snap. But home design often leads to a difference in opinion — and that's exactly what happened in the comments. The kitchen had two unique framed pieces of art hung on the wall, which left one social media user confused. "I love the kitchen but am puzzled by the artwork. Is that guy sitting on a toilet?" they commented.

But Pennington was quick to hit back and defend the unique hanging. "It's whatever you think it is," he responded to the art hater, adding, "That's the beauty of art." The Instagram user didn't seem to down about Pennington's clapback though, replying with a grinning face emoji.

Ty Pennington's kitchen photo doesn't mark the only interior design snap he's found himself hitting back at the haters over. In January 2024, the HGTV star had a sassy clap back for one social media user who let him know they weren't a fan of a toilet seat (yes, a toilet seat) he'd installed in a bathroom in Georgia. The room, which Pennington posted a photo of on Instagram, had gray and dark blue walls, vintage framed artwork and photos on the wall, and a black seat and lid on a white toilet. That inspired one hater to write in the comments, "Love most of it but kind of on the fence (or should I say seat?) with the dark toilet seat," alongside a confused face emoji.

But Pennington had no time for the negativity. He hit back, "Don't buy one then I guess?" with a monkey covering its eyes emoji and a shrugging man. And fans loved the blunt response. "Yes!!!" one person commented, while another repliedto the "Battle On The Beach" star with a microphone and boom emoji to encourage him to say it louder. Well, he certainly had a point.

Back in February 2022, Ty Pennington was forced to hit back (in a productive way) after he was tragically body-shamed over an Instagram video he posted of himself dancing on the beach. The HGTV star pulled up his swim shorts and pushed out his stomach for the jokey clip — but not everyone saw the funny side. The comments section was overrun with unnecessary hateful remarks, so much so Pennington – who's undergone quite the dramatic transformation since he shot to fame – responded a few days later in the caption of a shirtless photo. "What was an honest moment of just trying to make my wife laugh, was then picked apart by strangers- with a lot of views, comes a lot of hate!" he shared. "Comments like 'disgusting,' 'gross,' 'omg he's so old now,' 'grandpa,' 'he got fat' (which btw I'm pushing my stomach out but ok)."

Pennington then encouraged all those calling him out over his appearance to think twice, noting, "There has been such a force behind accepting all shapes and sizes and aging in the female community which is AWESOME (keep it coming) but maybe let's give that same grace to men?" We hear you, Mr. HGTV! The lesson here? If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.