Fans of Trading Spaces, the do-it-yourself series that unleashed everyone’s inner interior designer, remember Ty Pennington as the show’s ruggedly gorgeous carpenter.
Fans of the do-it-yourself TV star have been urging him to undergo a transformation for 20 years.
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Born Pennington’s 58-year-old resident Gary Tygert Burton is a blatant jokester who enjoys showing off his “mad” (poor) dancing abilities on Instagram. In several of these videos, his new wife can be seen chuckling in the background.
Pennington, the “master of none,” is a natural performer. A former J.Crew model who now claims to be studying graphic design claimed he supported himself through college by working in construction.
His modelling career was cut short by a near-fatal vehicle accident when he was 27 years old, and he interpreted this as a message to switch to carpentry.
“Overnight, it felt like my career took off… Unfortunately, though, Fate had other ideas. Exactly one week later, I was in a terrible vehicle accident,” Pennington says.
I put up my best headshot, grabbed my tool belt and went back to building and fixing things. The rest, as they say, is history: “Nine years later, I got a call to audition for Trading Spaces.
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Pennington’s first major film credit was as set designer for the 1995 Nicholas Cage feature Leaving Las Vegas. His rise to fame, though, began with his job as a builder on Trading Spaces, the programme that revolutionised the way people thought about remodelling their homes.
As the host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition from 2003 through 2012, Pennington won two Primetime Emmy Awards after leaving Trading Spaces.
Pennington writes on Instagram, “Not gonna lie, my ego took a huge punch to the gut” after being replaced as host by Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson for the show’s 11th season and 10 episodes of its resurrection in 2020.
That hurt. And I am really perplexed by it. I questioned my abilities, my knowledge, and my faith in my own abilities. It was never about me doing this job. … In all candour, it was and always will be among the most memorable times of my life.
Pennington “dusted” himself off, “strapped on” his boots, and came back for the second and third seasons of the Trading Spaces revival (2018 and 2019).
Pennington is currently hosting the fourth season of Rock the Block and appearing as a mentor and design expert on HGTV’s Battle on the Beach, both of which are in their third seasons.
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The former is titled “Good Design Can Change Your Life: Beautiful Rooms, Inspiring Stories,” while the latter is titled “Ty’s Tricks: Home Repair Secrets Plus Cheap and Easy Projects to Transform Any Room.”
Pennington also advocates for further understanding of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) via his public disclosure.
At the age of 41, in 2007, he was arrested for driving under the influence and sentenced to three years of probation and a 90-day alcohol programme.
It is never okay to drive after drinking. I accept responsibility for my actions and will comply with the court’s decision. In a statement, he stated, “I hope this experience can help others as much as it has helped me.”
The affable builder wed Kellee Merrell, a social media manager from Vancouver, in November 2021; she finds his pranks amusing.
After some of his followers made fun of the bulging keg that appeared where his six pack used to be after he posted a humorous video of himself on the beach with his shorts pushed up to his stomach last year, he responded, “…btw I’m pushing my stomach out but ok…”
The former host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, who is still a handsome guy, was shocked to hear people make negative remarks about his age and physical attractiveness.
Pennington responded to the backlash with an extended Instagram post titled “Thoughts on ageing,” in which he urged followers to be respectful to women and men alike.
After sharing a sincere attempt to make his wife laugh, he lamented that it had been “picked apart by strangers” since “with a lot of views, comes a lot of hate!” The usual insults: “disgusting,” “gross,” “omg he’s so old now,” “grandpa,” “he got fat,” etc.Would I be receiving the same remarks if I were younger and in better shape? As he went on, he said, “There has been such a force behind accepting all shapes and sizes and ageing in the female community which is AWESOME (keep it coming), but maybe let’s give that same grace to men?”
Trading Spaces fan favourite Pennington recently revealed that he initially appeared on television many years ago, when he was much younger.
“Every day, I read comments like ‘NOOOo what happened to him???!!!'” Somebody even made the statement ‘lack of exercise’ the other day, which I wish were true! I’ve never in my life exercised seven days a week (this being over 50 nonsense is no joke). The thing is, it’s been 22 years since I first appeared on television. Writing was what he did. No, I don’t have a six pack or lush hair (with frosted tips) anymore, but what I do have is knowledge, empathy, life lessons, and I’ve never been happy than I am right now at the ripe old age of 57. To sum it, I’m a human being with emotions. I may be older, but I still think it’s neat.
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Ty Pennington is still gorgeous, and his goofy Instagram videos are hilarious. Which of Pennington’s TV appearances do you like the most? Did watching Trading Spaces inspire you to try your hand at home improvement?
