Hollywood Medium: Tyler Henry previews emotional readings with Kris Jenner, Lil Jon, and more
Medium-to-the-stars Tyler Henry is digging deeper in Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry season 2.
The new season of the E! series promises to get more personal than ever, as it focuses on Henry's journey not just as a medium, but as a person. Viewers will receive a behind-the-scene look at what happens to Henry even before he reaches the home of his next client. And those next clients include Kris Jenner, former teenage witch Melissa Joan Hart, Glee's Kevin McHale, singer Moby, and rapper LIl Jon.
EW caught up with the young clairvoyant ahead of Wednesday's season premiere to talk about some of the most challenging and emotional readings he did this year and to find out what he does when he's not meeting with A-listers.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What’s new and different about the new season?
TYLER HENRY: Season 2 really shows my transformation not only as a medium but me as a person. So, you get to see a little bit more of a personal side of me and my process and how that works and affects me. That's an interesting part for the viewers. But, the readings and the general format is essentially the same; it's four celebrities per episode. I think that it's really interesting because the celebrities of this season are at a whole different tier and we still get a large variety of people ranging from athletes to actors to reality stars. There's something for everyone.
How did the new batch of readings change and help you grow?
You’ll see many parts throughout where I have an emotional reaction to the readings even before I go into them. People are always curious about the process and they'll see the car rides there and I'll pick up on information intuitively beforehand. This season really kind of shows the emotional impact behind it. Then, you'll also get to see the family's reactions to these readings. The clients bring along a lot of friends and family and some of those individuals who are not celebrities actually get readings directly and that's actually a really interesting part in season 2 that we didn’t see as much of in season 1. So, I'm really excited about that.
This season, you follow up with Snooki and her family. How did it feel to revisit that reading?
What I love about that is I’m able to put faces to the names that come through in the readings and actually see the follow through and the impact these readings not only have on the celebrities but how they impact people with everyday lives. It was so amazing to be able to go New Jersey in the middle of nowhere, and it was just very touching for me to see the follow through. It just goes to show that the reading doesn't affect one person but a whole family or group of people.
What was the most interesting or surprising reading you gave this season?
For me, the most surprising reading I gave was actually with Moby. I don't recognize the vast majority of clients that I read, and I actually am a big fan of Moby. So when he opened the door, I was absolutely shocked and that reading was really special because I was actually the first medium that he'd seen. So, it was really incredible for me to get to read somebody that I was a fan of and really help them and really be touched and be surprised by a lot of the validation that came through in the meeting.
What do you love about Moby?
I love him in general. He just has amazing music. I think it's so interesting because he's someone that's known for his music, but not really known for his personal life. I think it's kind of great that we get to explore that. In the show, you actually get to see these really personal sides and it kind of helped explain why he is and the inspirations behind the music.
I imagine sometimes nothing comes to you in readings. Were there any moments like that during the filming of this season?
Everybody comes in with varying degrees of openness. One of the readings that was most intriguing for me, which you'll see a little later on in the season, was one I did in New York, and it was actually with a client who was a big fan of the show. As I was trying to connect with her, I kept connecting to people in a different room and I didn't know what was I walking into. So, I ended up giving a reading to five people in the room that were watching, that I had never met. At the end you get to come out and see their reactions and it's really surreal. It was just bizarre. It was one of those interesting moments where not only the celebrity got a reading but the friends and family did to a much larger extent.
Who were you reading?
It was actually with an actress from One Tree Hill, and I believe her name was Jana [Kramer].
Would you say that was the hardest reading you had this season?
It was definitely one of the more challenging ones for sure just because there was so much coming through and I'm a firm believer that the messages get relayed and placed where they're meant. When I meet with a client, I openly tell them what they're meant to hear, so that was a particular challenge because she really wanted to connect from the get-go and no matter how hard I was trying to connect, I was connecting with the people in the other room just because their loved ones needed to deliver a message. Ultimately, she got a reading and it was great, but it just showed the wide range of how readings go and I never know what I'm walking into and it's unpredictable, even for a psychic.
Image Credit: Brandon Hickman/E! Entertainment
This season you also read Kris Jenner. What was that meeting like?
That was quite an experience. She was so lovely and you’ll actually see Khloé come out and give her comments on the reading as well. I think Kris went into it with a pretty hefty degree of skepticism, but by the end of it, there was just a massive transformation. It was really intriguing and one of my favorite readings.
For a client like Kris Jenner, is it hard for you to separate what you know about her already from what you’re receiving?
Yeah, that's why it's so important, I think, for me to not know what I'm walking into or where I'm going. That's why I have my policy of not knowing whom I'm reading in advance. So when Kris Jenner opened the door, of course, I knew who Kris Jenner is, but I had to put what I knew about her to the side and kind of be open to my own intuitive impressions. It's so important when I do a reading that I'm not biased with pre-conceived information. In her case, of course, everybody knows something about Kris Jenner and that meant in the reading, I just had to focus on specific information that's not public information. One of my favorite parts of the reading is actually where she mentions that a lot of the details that are coming through, she's never talked about in interviews, couldn't be Googled, couldn't be researched, and those are really the details that provide the most validation, especially for people whose lives are so public.
You also had a meeting with Lil Jon this season. What was his session like?
He was so sweet. Even though I'm not a massive rap fan, so I didn't recognize him, he was amazing. It was really beautiful, the connection that we made. You'll see a connection with his parents, and for me that was one of the most profound readings. By the end of it, he was just really open and vulnerable.
Was he skeptical or open to the process?
I wouldn't say that Lil Jon was skeptical. I would just say he was stoic. That's actually kind of one of the most interesting things I noticed with musicians: they're often they are a little bit more stoic. They're not like actors or reality stars where they're used to kind of putting on a performance in the sense of being aware of the angles and their lighting. I think that's what made it such a great experience because as he felt more comfortable being vulnerable and opened up more.
How do you decompress after an intense reading?
It takes a lot. I’m a big fan of naps. I do a lot of sleeping when I’m not working. That’s just my excuse to lay in bed all day. For the most part, it just requires being out in nature. I love going hiking. I like to spend alone time. I’m an only child, so I don’t really have any siblings to drive me nuts. So, it’s nice to just kind of get away. In my case, my job doesn’t end when I’m off the clock; it keeps going, so it’s important to have a healthy balance.
Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry premieres Aug. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on E!.
