Just over one year after surviving a life-threatening abscess in his throat that required emergency surgery, longtime HGTV star Ty Pennington has revealed that scary ordeal was one of two brushes with death he’s experienced. The other was a terrifying accident when his open-top vehicle flipped.
“Honestly, I should not even be here,” Pennington told Access Hollywood on November 15, 2024. “I’ve had some close calls.”
But making it through those close calls has given the “Rock the Block” host an important perspective on and gratitude for life, he has said in multiple interviews, especially after turning 60 in October.
Ty Pennington Recounts ‘Crazy’ Accident He Survived in 1991
While recalling some of his death-defying experiences, Pennington told Access Hollywood that in 1991, he and a friend “flipped a Jeep” and doesn’t know how they survived.
“It was crazy,” Pennington told the outlet. “Like, (I) slid across the pavement, didn’t break a bone. Lost a lot of skin. There’s only been two times where I’m like, ‘Wow, that was close.’ I think those things are meant to just remind you to really appreciate every day.”
Pennington’s other near-death experience occurred in July 2023, as he was about to start filming “Battle on the Mountain” in Breckenridge, Colorado. Overnight, he could feel his throat closing up and thought he might be having an allergic reaction. In an Instagram post after the ordeal, he explained that he drove himself to a nearby urgent care, where it was determined he needed to be airlifted to a hospital.
“Turns out, that sore throat Ive had for the last month was actually an abscess which had grown so large it was closing off my airway,” he wrote. “Next thing I know, I was intubated and flown to the ICU in Denver.”
At the facility in Breckenridge, Pennington told Access Hollywood, the doctor explained to him that he had a much higher chance of dying if he didn’t go to an urban hospital for specialty, emergency surgery. Pennington recalled the urgent care doctor saying that if there was a growth in his throat and he tried to address it, the result could be disastrous.
Pennington recalled him saying, “‘There’s so many arteries right there and if I make a mistake, like, you’re gonna believe out in eight minutes.”
“And that was it,” Pennington continued. “I was (knocked) out and (suddenly) I was in Denver, you know, being operated on. It just goes to show you, man, you never know what kind of twists and turns life’s gonna throw you. So you’ve gotta not only stay healthy, but you gotta stay happy. That’s what keeps the stress away.”
Ty Pennington Says the Attention He Got After 2023 Health Scare Was ‘Fantastic’
One of the best things to come out of his 2023 health scare, Pennington told Access Hollywood, was being showered with love after the ordeal.
“It’s like, the amount of attention you get from almost dying is so fantastic,” he laughed. “Like, it’s the greatest (because) you finally realize how much people love you. You’re like, ‘This is great and I didn’t have to die! So, no, it’s awesome. It was scary, but it just makes you realize you have to stay healthy, because anything can take you out that you’re just not expecting.”
In March, Pennington joked to Entertainment Tonight that his near death experience got him so much attention that he wants to do it again.
“It feels so nice to be that loved,” he said. “I’m planning another one… No, I’m kidding!”
In addition to being HGTV’s go-to host, Pennington has been inspired to put his energy into projects and causes he cares about, including acting in “No Address,” a movie set for release in February 2025 that sheds light on the homelessness crisis in the U.S. The cast includes William Baldwin, Ashanti, and Beverly D’Angelo.
He also hosts and mentors contestants on the YouTube show “Skills Jam,” a competition in which teens learning a skills trade complete in complex challenges, inspiring “a new generation of creators, fixers, builders, makers to redefine the path to success.”
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