Ty Pennington Facts

From LoveToKnow Reality-TV

Whether you know him from Trading Spaces or Extreme Makeover Home Edition, fans are always searching for Ty Pennington facts. He's one of the most enthusiastic and adorable TV hosts currently on the air, and he is also a truly skilled carpenter.

Ty Pennington is America's favorite carpenter

Early Ty Pennington Facts

Ty Pennington was born Gary Tygert Burton Pennington in Atlanta, Georgia on October 19th, 1965. Pennington suffered from ADHD as a child but at the time it wasn't diagnosed and he wasn't medicated for the condition. He has told many stories in interviews about how he was a completely unruly child, and ended up visiting the principal's office often while in school.

After graduating high school, he worked as a carpenter to pay for his education at Kennesaw State University, where he studied art and history. He went on to get his degree in graphic design from the Atlanta Art Institute, still doing carpentry to bring in some cash.

It was while Pennington was in school that he had his first introduction to show business, when a modeling scout discovered him and suggested he pursue becoming a model. He went on to appear in many advertisements in both print and television, most notably with clothing retailers Abercrombie and Fitch.

Trading Spaces and Extreme Makeover Home Edition

After modeling, Pennington became a set designer for movies and television and worked on the hit film Leaving Las Vegas. In 2000, he got a job as a carpenter on the TLC reality TV show Trading Spaces. He became an overnight sensation, mostly with female viewers.

Pennington's penchant for working shirtless brought in many watchers, but his standout humor and ability to have so much fun on the set brought him an extremely loyal fan base. He soon became well known for his antics on the show.

In 2004, Pennington became the lead designer and host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC. The show travels around the country building homes for those in need. Pennington's outgoing personality and sense of fun were a perfect fit for the job.

Is Ty Pennington Married?

Pennington has been linked to several women during his career, but he has never married. Due to his job with Extreme Makeover, he travels quite a lot. He has credited this - along with all of his other work - as the reason he hasn't yet settled down.

Who is Ty Pennington Dating?

For the past eleven years, Pennington has been romantically linked with his manager, Drea Bock. Both have said that they are very happy with their relationship, and see no need to be married to continue being happy with each other.

Bock and Pennington met in Atlanta, Georgia. They were both models at the time, and Pennington had yet to hit the small screen as America's favorite carpenter.

Other Work

Pennington has tried his hand at acting, playing Wilbur Wright in the independent film The Adventures of Ociee Nash in 2003 and the character Trey in Wild Card in 2004.

He's also authored two books about home design entitled Ty's Tricks: Home Repair Secrets Plus Cheap and Easy Projects to Transform Any Room and Good Design Can Change Your Life: Beautiful Rooms, Inspiring Stories. He's also been featured in a series of books from Trading Spaces.

One of the biggest sponsors of the Extreme Makeover show is Sears, and Pennington has his own line of home products through Sears called Ty Pennington Style. He also owns his own furniture company, Furniture Unlimited.

Marketplace Events, a home decorating and gardening organizational company, has brought Pennington on to appear at their events across the United States as a spokesperson.

More Ty Pennington Facts and Trivia

Here are some fun facts about Ty Pennington that you may not know:

Ty's mother Yvonne Pennington is a psychologist who specializes in ADHD and depression.

Pennington has appeared in ads and commercials for dozens of well-known brands, including Sprite, Levi's, Diet Coke, Macy's, and Bayer.

He loves playing soccer and skateboarding.

In 2005, Pennington had to have emergency surgery after an attack of appendicitis. He still appeared on Extreme Makeover from the hospital, coaching his team by phone and video.