Nearly a year after his medical emergency, HGTV star Ty Pennington opens up about almost dying during the incident.
In July 2023, Pennington revealed he had undergone emergency surgery after doctors discovered an abscess in the back of his throat. The situation happened days after he went to the Barbie premiere.
“To shed some light on why I was MIA… Sunday I hit the red carpet for [Barbie]. Monday I flew to Colorado to start filming in Breckenridge. And Tuesday morning I woke up at 4 am and could barely breathe,” Ty Pennington explained. “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.”
Pennington ended up having surgery and was released from the ICU just a few days later.
Eight months after the medical emergency, Ty Pennington opened up to Entertainment Tonight about the ordeal. “I’m great,” he declared. “You know what’s great is if you almost die, you get so much attention. It feels so nice to be that loved.”
He went on to joke that he was planning to have another medical emergency. “No, I’m kidding!”
Ty Pennington Says the Near-Death Throat Experience Gave Him a Different Perspective on Life
While continuing to speak to Entertainment Tonight about the situation, Ty Pennington said he has a different perspective on life.
“It made me realize you just don’t know when your timecard’s gonna get pulled,” Pennington explained. “So wake up, live every single day to the fullest. 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.”
Also speaking about the upcoming season of his hit HGTV series Rock the Block, Ty Pennington says there are some “all-stars” that will be competing. “I think this season could be the greatest season ever because there’s so much at stake because this is about pride and saying, ‘I am a winner,’” he added. “And when you’ve got four teams that are trying to prove themselves, there is nothing they’re gonna hold back, and that’s the kind of design, that’s the kind of passion I love to see.”
The new season of Rock the Block premiered on Monday.