Little Known Facts About Ty Pennington

Ty Pennington quickly gained notice as the hunky carpenter on "Trading Spaces" when he started on the show in 2000, and he became a full-fledged television star when he began hosting ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" in 2003. Pennington stayed on that series through 2012, hosting 198 episodes of the feel-good hit. He has since gone on to host a slew of home design and construction shows, including HGTV's "Ty Breaker," "Battle on the Beach," and "Rock the Block."

Pennington has also branched out into other content areas beyond the home renovation sphere. For instance, he briefly ventured into cooking shows with the TNT series "On The Menu" — which ran 10 episodes in 2014 — and American Diner Revival, which produced 22 episodes for the Food Network in 2015 and 2016. Pennington has also hosted business-focused content, such as the HLN documentary series "Growing America: A Journey to Success" and appeared on 21-episodes of "Small Business Revolution: Main Street."

Pennington's television success in the home renovation sphere led to a number of lucrative business deals, such as a decor collection for Sears and the at home x Ty Pennington line. He has authored three books, appeared in dozens of commercials, and even dabbled in producing and acting. For as interesting as his career has been, there are plenty of equally interesting things to know about Pennington's personal life —complex family dynamics, health struggles, and that time he turned down "The Bachelor." Here are some little known facts about Ty Pennington.

Ty Pennington is a catchy name for a TV star, but it is nowhere close to the HGTV personality's birth name. Like many others in Hollywood, Pennington changed his moniker, but not for the reasons some might assume. Pennington was born Gary Burton Jr., after his father Gary Burton Sr. Gary Sr. was not in the picture, as Pennington's parents separated when he was three and Pennington's earliest memory of meeting his father is from when he was five. The pair rarely saw each other after that, although they attempted a reconciliation when Pennington was 15. ""It's safe to say my family isn't built on a strong foundation," Pennington wrote in his memoir (via People).

While their strained father-son relationship is not the only reason Pennington does not go by his birth name, it is a large part of it. He adopted his now well-known last name because it is the surname of his stepfather, who entered Pennington's life at an early age and who he considers his "dad." The first part of his stage moniker, Ty, is based upon the star's middle name, which Pennington went by growing up — presumably so as to distinguish himself from Gary Sr. But do not assume that Ty is short for Tyler, because Pennington's actual moniker is far more unique. His middle name is Tygert, which Names.org estimates is bestowed upon to less than five Americans a year (too few to even be listed in U.S. Social Security Administration public data).

It takes only one glance at Ty Pennington to know that he is a handsome fella. In fact, he was at one time a professional model. "Looking back, I remember the absolute shock of hearing I was on the @jcrew cover," the star wrote on Instagram in January 2023, alongside a side-by-side of the J. Crew cover photo and a 30-years-later recreation. "This one image finally gave my sad attempt at being a professional "Male Model" a glimmer of hope. Overnight my career seemed to explode... but alas, fate had other plans." "Exploded" is perhaps an exaggeration, since Pennington admitted in a YouTube video for toofab to making maybe $100 a day on the days he worked.

In any case, Pennington's up-and-coming modeling career ended only one week after that iconic cover photo shoot due to a terrible accident. "Only one week later I would be in a horrible car accident- catapulted out of a barreling jeep, sliding across a razor sharp road on my backside. Somehow, I survived... my buttocks sadly did not," Pennington's Instagram caption reads. "The staples and stitches couldn't revive my new found 'Body of Work' in Modelling. So after my brother left my only portfolio of pictures in his unlocked car...I hung up my one decent head shot, picked up my trusty tool bag and went back to construction and carpentry." Nearly a decade later, Pennington started work on "Trading Spaces," which launched his decades-long television career.

With so many viewers lusting after Ty Pennington on "Trading Spaces," it makes total sense that the producers of "The Bachelor" approached him to be on the show. It was after the second year of "Trading Spaces" that the star got the call from producers, although he had a girlfriend at the time and was not at all interested in the gig. In an appearance on "Entertainment Tonight" Pennington recalled: I got this call from a producer in L.A. You would live in a house with, like, 20 girls and you'd have to spend time with them. What a different trajectory my life would have been if I did that." Interestingly, Pennington went on the work with one of Bachelor Nation's few successful couples, filming a web series with Sean and Catherine Lowe in 2014.

The relationship Pennington was in at the time he got "The Bachelor" offer did not work out, and he seemed perfectly happy to be a real-life bachelor for a long while. But in 2021, Pennington finally walked down the aisle when he wed social media manager Kellee Merrell. While Pennington and Merrell met back in 2010, it was only after reconnecting in 2020 that things turned romantic. Even before marrying, the couple purchased a historic Savannah, Georgia, home — quickly beginning a years-long renovation they have documented online. Pennington and Merrell love the home so much that they even chose to have their small wedding in the backyard.

Like many TV stars, Ty Pennington has done his fair share of giving back. For example, he has worked with the Claire Marie Foundation and with Sears, created the "Building Together Initiative" that utilized local volunteers to build Tampa-area homes and buildings. Some of Pennington's most important work has been drawing attention to an issue he personally has struggled with: ADHD. The star was only diagnosed with the disorder in college, despite years of struggling in school and other areas. ""It was a game changer for me because it really did open my mind to the fact that maybe there was something wrong with me," he said to People. "I'm now seeing life in a different way, because I didn't fail at everything (anymore)."

Pennington has discussed his ADHD in many interviews over the years, dating at least back to a 2009 appearance on ABC News where he encouraged parents to take note of ADHD symptoms in their children and get them tested, diagnosed, and treated. In 2022, Pennington was one of many stars who appeared in the documentary "The Disruptors," which also featured Paris Hilton and Howie Mandel. Though ADHD has been challenging for Pennington, he has said that it is his creative work that helped him find a sense of calm. ""Every person out there with ADHD has a hidden talent that they must find, because it's the confidence that you can gain from that [discovery] that's life changing," he told People.

Ty Pennington would have a totally different life if he had never been cast on "Trading Spaces," and he would never have been cast had he not been a master carpenter. But carpentry was never supposed to be the plan, just a means to an end. Pennington worked in landscaping before getting into construction, which helped him pay his way through school at Kennesaw State University and later the Art Institute of Atlanta. "I always thought I was going to be a graphic designer and a fine artist. I went to art school to be that and doing construction was just to pay the bills," Pennington told The News-Herald. "It's just interesting how life is but because I ended up sort of having experience in these different areas that actually work out really well doing renovation TV."

Another way that Pennington made money during this time was through modeling. After modeling in Japan for a time, the HGTV star moved to New York to try his hand at commercials. "I soon realized I was being hired because I wasn't center guy, I was side guy who made everyone feel comfortable. I was fluffer. I had fun, traveled and met cool people but it took me nowhere," Pennington told The Indianapolis Star. "So I went back to Atlanta and was renovating a warehouse and said I was done with it all and of course right when I said it I got a call to audition for a show."

HGTV star Ty Pennington had a scary health incident in July 2023 that totally shifted his outlook on life. Fresh off a red carpet for the Barbie movie, Pennington flew to Breckenridge, Colorado, to start filming a show. The day after his arrival, he woke up at 4 a.m. struggling to breathe. "Turns out, that sore throat I've had for the last month was actually an abscess which had grown so large it was closing off my airway. Next thing I know, I was intubated and flown to the ICU in Denver," he wrote on Instagram. "Wednesday I had surgery and yesterday afternoon I was released from the ICU." Pennington went on thank his medical team and attached a photo of himself giving a thumbs up in a hospital bed.

The following March, Pennington told "Entertainment Tonight" that he was doing well eight months after the emergency surgery, but that the frightening ordeal had given him a new perspective. "It made me realize you just don't know when your timecard's gonna get pulled, so wake up, live every single day to the fullest," he said. "I mean that's why the 60s is gonna be like time to start doing everything and that's what I love about being part of these projects because I think we all want to make sure we've done things to be remembered."