HGTV’s Ty Pennington Gives New Health Update Nearly 2 Years After Emergency Hospitalization

It’s been 19 months since Ty Pennington underwent emergency surgery in Colorado, and he’s fully on the mend. The home designer shared a new update about his health today in an interview with Fox News.

“I’m in really good health,” Pennington confirmed. He also reiterated comments he had made in the past about what the scary experience taught him. “You find out who loves you,” the HGTV star explained. “Because people message you and you’re like, ‘My God, it’s like you died.’ And people finally message you and say, ‘My God, I forgot about how much I love you.’ So it was one of the best experiences because you realize how much you’re worth to other people and how much you would be missed.”

Although it was a scary, life-threatening experience for Pennington, he admitted that he thinks everyone should go through “something like that” because it helps you “really appreciate the people that love you.” He continued, “Sometimes we take that for granted. … I’m great. Honestly, you know, if you really want to get some great attention … almost die.”

In July 2023, Pennington attended the premiere of Barbie on a Sunday, then traveled to Colorado one day later. On Tuesday, he “woke up at 4am and could barely breathe,” the Trading Spaces star wrote on Instagram at the time. “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. Wednesday I had surgery and yesterday afternoon I as released from the ICU.”

Along with the reveal, he shared photos of himself in the hospital where he appeared to be in good spirits. “You know, it’s amazing. You get so much love, you know?” he concluded. “But, like, I had no idea, like, an abscess like that could even happen. So I was, like, in shock. I’m sure a few people out there were excited. ‘Does that mean we won’t hear his annoying voice anymore?’ But unfortunately, the voice did come back.”