Ty Pennington reflects on scary medical emergency: ‘If you almost die, you get so much attention’

Jack Hobbs
·3 min read
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Ty is thankful.

Ty Pennington is on the mend and feeling “great” after being rushed to the hospital to undergo emergency surgery in July 2023.

“I’m great,” Pennington, 59, told “Entertainment Tonight” Monday, while promoting the new season of his HGTV show “Rock the Block.”

“You know what’s great is if you almost die, you get so much attention. It feels so nice to be that loved.”

Ty Pennington is “feeling great” after doctors revealed that the actor was suffering from an abscess that had formed in his throat. Entertainment Tonight
Ty Pennington is “feeling great” after doctors revealed that the actor was suffering from an abscess that had formed in his throat. Entertainment Tonight
“I’m great,” Pennington, 59, told “Entertainment Tonight” on Monday. “You know what’s great is if you almost die, you get so much attention. It feels so nice to be that loved.” Entertainment Tonight
“I’m great,” Pennington, 59, told “Entertainment Tonight” on Monday. “You know what’s great is if you almost die, you get so much attention. It feels so nice to be that loved.” Entertainment Tonight

“I’m planning another one . . . No, I’m kidding,” the reality show host joked.

The “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” alum revealed that, prior to seeking medical help, he was suffering from a severe sore throat for nearly a month.

Finally, just days after attending the premiere of the “Barbie” movie, Pennington drove to the hospital around 4 a.m. intent on getting a steroid to relieve some of the pain.

“I had this abscess in my throat, and I woke up. I couldn’t breathe,” he recalled to the outlet. “I drove down the mountain to the hospital, and I’m just like, ‘Hey, can you give me a steroid to help shrink the swelling?’ And [the doctor] goes, ‘What if it’s more than that? What if you close up and can’t breathe?’ ”

“I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ He’s like, ‘I think we need to fly you to Denver.’ And I wake up and I have a tube in my throat,” he continued.

Finally, just days after attending the premiere of the “Barbie” movie, Pennington drove to the hospital around 4 a.m. intent on getting a steroid to relieve some of the pain in his throat. Instagram / @thetypennington
Finally, just days after attending the premiere of the “Barbie” movie, Pennington drove to the hospital around 4 a.m. intent on getting a steroid to relieve some of the pain in his throat. Instagram / @thetypennington
“I had this abscess in my throat, and I woke up. I couldn’t breathe,” he recalled to the outlet. “I drove down the mountain to the hospital, and I’m just like, ‘Hey, can you give me a steroid to help shrink the swelling?’ And [the doctor] goes, ‘What if it’s more than that? What if you close up and can’t breathe?’ ” Instagram / @thetypennington
“I had this abscess in my throat, and I woke up. I couldn’t breathe,” he recalled to the outlet. “I drove down the mountain to the hospital, and I’m just like, ‘Hey, can you give me a steroid to help shrink the swelling?’ And [the doctor] goes, ‘What if it’s more than that? What if you close up and can’t breathe?’ ” Instagram / @thetypennington

“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,” Pennington later wrote in an Instagram post that featured him hooked up to several machines. “Next thing I know, I was intubated and flown to the ICU in Denver. Wednesday I had surgery and yesterday afternoon I was released from the ICU.”

“Thank you so much to all the amazing staff at St.Anthony’s in Lakewood, CO & Summit Health in Frisco for taking such great care of me,” Pennington added.

“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,” Pennington later wrote in an Instagram post that featured him hooked up to several machines. Instagram / @thetypennington
“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,” Pennington later wrote in an Instagram post that featured him hooked up to several machines. Instagram / @thetypennington

“A great reminder to LISTEN to your body when it’s telling you something,” the reality star added.

According to Pennington, the scary situation put a lot of things into perspective for him.

“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 told “ET.” “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.”

Despite his health scare, Pennington has since returned to his HGTV hosting duties and appeared on Monday’s Season 5 premiere of “Rock the Block.”