Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's Ty Pennington
Posted by Lorrie Lynch
If you watch Ty Pennington, at left, on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition you are familiar with his enthusiasm. Kathy interviewed him this morning for a piece in a special "green" issue of the magazine, and reports that he's just as energetic and, well, distractable as he is on TV. Here's Kathy:
"It was pretty early in the morning here in Washington and I'd assumed he was out in L.A. so told him I was impressed that he was up so early, but he revealed that he's actually been in warm, sunny Miami since Saturday, and had finished a house in Boston a few days earlier. 'That's a day in the life for me. I'm never really home — I'm just constantly on the move,' he said. As we talked, he and his manager were trying (unsuccessfully) to navigate the streets of Miami. He was very gracious and apologetic about continually having to interrupt our conversation to figure out if they were heading northeast or northwest: 'This is ADHD working at its fullest,' he joked. (Ty does actually have ADHD, and is a spokesperson for ADHD Experts on Call.) Despite the distractions, we talked about everything from bamboo sheets to why he loves his job. 'I see that you can make a difference every day,' he said." Meaning with the job, not the sheets.
(photo by Adam Larkey/ABC)



Comments (53)
me and my mom are crazy over the show it is so remarcable how you the team and the familys community pull to gether and change all them familys lifes. i just wont every 1 to no yall are doing a incredable job
Hello Ty,
I know you have alot of people writing you for help.My husband and I was was buying a home in 2000 we lived there for a little while.My mom found out she had colen cancer and her husband didnt work,needless to say i cant stand him.She found out about the cancer in 2001.We had to give up our home to move in to one of my dads three bedroom trailer to take care of my mom,she beat the colen cancer and then we found out she had it in her liver,My sister steped up a got a bigger house so our mom could move in with her.My mom put up a hell of a fight but the cancer took her on April 12th 2006.Now my husband and I live in a two bedroom trailer getting ready to move in to my dads three bedroom trailer,My dad has COPD and is on oxygen all the time my stepmom beat brest cancer but she will always hurt do to being messed up on by the doctors.I'm writing you because my grandfather passed way fed,of this year,My grandma is now living alone we have been trying to fix up the house so my dad and stepmom can move in with her.Her doctor doesnt wont her to be alone she needs help.My dad and I are going to do it we wouldnt have it any other way.My grandfather built the house his self.It has never had hot water.It didnt have a bathroom until my mom said she wasnt going to use a outhouse.He put one in,It was 1978 when he put that in the year i was born.The house and the trailer are on the same land we are trying to fix them up.But work and money is really bad right now.I really need help right now when we move down there my oldest son who is 14teen will hacve to sleep in the frontroom because i have 4 kids and the rooms in the trailer are to small to put the three boys in one room,I have one girl she has to have her own room.Im not asking for a hand out,but you are a good man that really make people cry that watch your show i ndo alot.I hope you get this and think about it.We live in Lancaster Ohio.Im going to try to do the app,but i dont have a printer.We live at 2510 PineGrove Rd Lancaster Ohio 43130.Thank you our phone number is under R Randolph Lancaster Ohio .....Thank you again
Connie Randolph
I love love love your show. I can't help but cry everytime. Not only because of the stories, but because you are such an awesome spirit. You and your team do something so amazing, you should get rewarded for it. I love to watch the people's faces when they are blessed with such a beautiful house. You guys are absolutely amazing Ty. I love your show. And i will continue to watch it, until I have seen every last episode. Keep up the work Dude. <3(:
so ty please help us out our we'll be living in a trailer thank you ty and crew your the best
ty my name is austin mcdonnell and im 16 years old i love watching your show and every time i do it fills my heart with love for that family that your helping i live in coosbay oregon i go to marshfield high school and we need your help bad we just lost my dad in july and our buisness and just about to lose our home because of payments and my mom is a hard worker and she is trying her best
Hey. My name is Patricia. I am 17 years old. I live in Poland. I watch your program and I admire from helping people. He writes on for help. I live in a small town. I live with my dad. mother abandoned me. Im studying and working to earn a living and maintain but it is very difficult. I live in a small apartment. which are not suitable for life. I do not know English well. So I can not write well about the situation I have. She wanted me to go on straight and become self-sufficient but the situation I will not allow it: (
Hello Ty....my name is Desiree. I need your help badly. My Grandma is at that point and all she wants to do is pass in her own home. She is staying in Indianapolis wit my auntie. The thing is her house isnt nothing. It is in South Bend, IN. My mom is living there now. She has a breathing problem, and the basement is full of mold. I dont want her to die trying to clean that house so my grandma could go back and be happy. My grandmas father built that house, thats why she wants to pass there. She wants that house to stay in the family. I dont think it will. I would send u pics, but i dont have what i need to. Please help my grandma really derserves this..thank you very much for even reading this..God Bless U..
Ty I need your help in suggesting what to do with a serious problem in my home. We have serious mold problems in our old ranch home. Recently we found out (by a terrible sewer smell in the house) that a pipe broke under our home and it was there for quite a while. We became aware when we called a plumber to look at what it was and he found quite a flood under our home. We are right over the crawl space but the problem is no company we called said they can get materials down there to seal it. I asked about a crawl space dehumidifier and they cant get that down there either. We have two adult children in the house with arthritis and fibromyalgia/ My daughter who is 29 has been ill since birth with several illnesses besides the arthritis and fibromyalgia. She has esophogerial reflux and had surgery on the muscle so that food stays down and not come up all the time. She has asthma, ibs disease, allergies (environmental, food, mold). We had to send her to a friends home for a week she came back and can't stand it. I have been out of work for 2 years now and my husband who has diabetes works 2 jobs and is not well. I don't know what to do to correct this problem nobody knows what to do. I have been so ill smelling the odors in the house. I am 61 years old i'm not worried about me but my children, especially my daughter.
Hy Ty Pennington. 48 of my year mothers and our family nak please segitséget ??? In Hungary Mezökovácsházán our edge vertfalas 2 szobáslakásban I would like it if uj could be our house and Izületes rheumatic osteoroposisos my allergic mommy would be able to handle it terapy 100km.You mummy .I neu home Ifamilien 4 .??HELP??? Email istvan44@citromail.hu tel +36307282331 mobil.Thank You Help Familien??Gyöngyi Magyar :18 jahr
ty i need your help my spoud is disable but can get around my keep flood and i do not know what to do i can not gey no help please please help me
ty you guys are doing a fantastic job. i wish there was a way i could help. unfortunatly for my family we lost or home to a fire last year along with two of our dogs " kids". my wife and i have been struggling ever since. during the fire i was injured and unable to work. when i was able to return my employer fired me because i was off. we are fighting everyday to make it though and with gods help we are still here. we have 2 more little puppies and want more.if we had the land my wife and i would take every stray and dog from the humane sociaty that we could get. any way tell the gang good work and god bless the world needs more good people like you guys in it. ps let poley in that secret room just once.your friend in jesus curt. www.wellitsthebigshow69@yahoo.com
I am deaf and half blind in right eye. I addict love to watch tv make cheer up and Ty is very best #1 wow and neat. My name is Sherri and I am 44 yrs old. the Extreme Makeover is very neat and ty pennington and Micheal Moloney and Paul DiMeo they are funny activies wow and they are very good persons with cheer up and not tbe sad mood I feeling sorry for who has cancers I want to help and I will be there for them I am support! I want to support them the exmtreme makeover smile!
Thank you
Dear Ty,
I have watched your show several times, and it feels my heart to see the diffrences in people lives that you have changed.Giving them there hope and dreams of something worth having that they can charish for many years.how you brighten their lives and how you come in full force of what you to accomplish for this people.And how you dont ask for anything in return.I wish i could do the same thing someday.
This is why i am writting to you,it is for my son amd his family.there are nine of them all together living in a three bedroom one bath trailor, and there is not enough room for them all, his is trying to build on but right now he lost his job, and he is in bad health. He is 33 years old,he has taking on the responsibility of raising five step children and two of his own.He is trying his best but right now he is at his last wits in trying to pull everything together as best he can,he cuts wood for his wood stove that they heat by,and he can barely do that because of his operation he had to get on both of his wrists, because of carple tunnel.He has other medical problems also. His home is falling apart around him and with the family growing larger they are like packed sardines in a can.If you can help in any way possible it would be very appriciated. Our family is always helpig each other but, in this economy it is getting pretty hard do anything anymore.He is always trying to fix other things but soon as he gets done with that something else pops up. They are down to living practicaly with electricity through out their home.There floors are falling in and it is really unsafe place for them to be , with do job and hardly any income. They are struggling daily.And if you or anybody else could help it would be deeply appriciated.
My email address is Kathleen.losey@yahoo.com
DEAR TY, I HAVE BECOME AN "ADDICT" VIEWER OF YOUR SHOW. I WATCH IT EVERY NIGHT ON CMT AND AGAIN ON SUNDAY NIGHT. WHAT MY HUSBAND AND I REALLY LOVE IS THE "GIVING" AND "CARING" THAT YOU AND EVERYONE ON YOUR TEAM DISPLAY. THE SINCERE DESIRE TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE: THOSE WHO REALLY NEED IT IS SO INSPIRING, ESPECIALLY IN A WORLD OF INDIFFERENCE AND TURMOIL. YOU HAVE TRULY INSPIRED US TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE. HOW FORTUNATE YOU ARE TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS.
ty i need your help, i cant explane everythin on paper but i have a son that was shot in the head a few years ago, know he is having problems whit his eyesite and having seizures, so he cant work he is having a new baby injune there house is falling apart my husband and i are doing what we can but its not enough,i know alot of people ask for your help, all i ask is maybe you could call and talk to me so i can tell you my whole story before you write me off as a nobody, we have no house of our owen, my husband is a union iron worker i meet him 4 years ago in kansas,he saved my life see by then i had lost a brother ahusband and my mother,and almost a son, and my life also so please ty call me, if not i understand you have a lot of people who need help to.god put you on this earth to do what you do to help people, i watch you every day and night you are my tru hero.here is my phone #3189900177 and my adress for know 106 larkin st benton la 71006, i am going to kansas to see me kids in a few weeks if i dont here from you i understand,God bless you and your team for everything you do for all the familys you touch you will always be my hero. thank you from tne bottom of my heart,Teresa Hope
Hi this is Cedtoria and im 16 teen years old, I watch this show time to time, and it is so emotionally to see people in need, I have a brother, and im blessed with both my parents. I wanted to ask questions like if do you half to own a house in order to get one rebuild. My mother and father braught me and my brother a long way. It was time when we had no ware to go, we had to sleep inside our car. My mother began praying and praying, untill god answered, he had blessed us trully all with an apartment, we had no rooms just a frontroom, bathroom, and kitchen. My mom she seeked a good job, she was getting fairly paid, she kept food on the table and clothes on our backs. she kept the lights, and water on, that was a blessing. My mother has been having alot of headache, she has high blood pressure, before we moved to North Carolina; in Philadelphia she's been constantly in the hospital, Now she want a house that god will bless us with. It would be a blessing if you would help us Ty Pennington. If you would like to talk, you can e-mail me duleycedtoria@yahoo.com Thank you your show has really inspired my family aloy.
Amigo, Ty pennignton i see your show all nigts and i like very very much. saludos desde Mexico , my friend
Ty,
I wonder if you still have time to read your e-mails, or is there someone who read it for you. That doesn't matter who reads it. As long as someone reads them.
I have been watching most your shows whenever there is time. I am touched by how you change these families lives. Most of the time I fall back to tears on the part where they relate their past and when they come to see the New house. They are trully deserving. I myself am very much motivated and have the same vision as yours but unfortunately, because of lack of Support and Resources, I can only do so much in helping others. And sometimes, it's kind of frustrating not to see your vision being realised. I remember one episode if I may call it that way, when you sent a planeload of goodies and sent them to poor kids somewhere where these adopted kids came from. And I said to myself how can I sourceout Books and Educational materials instead of toys to donate to our poor children and give them good education. So, that is how you got into my mind a write you. Perhaps, you could refer me to some charitable groups who can help me do the same. I am from the Philippines but a Canadian citizen residing in Ontario. I know you would love to see others with the same "Big Heart" doing similar projects. I am over 50 and would like to do something for the poor before my life ends. At least, I have something to write on my biography that I did something for my community without asking for something in return. I could say to myself I am fulfilled and accomplished my mission in life and perhaps pass it along to the next generation.
Please, feel free to give me your opinion on this matter whenever you have time.
Keep up the good hope. I support you in spirits.
God Bless........Phil
Ty you and your creww are soooooooo awsome i love that you help soo many people!! there are so many people in the world that say they would give!!! but really, do they!! no!!and i love how you guys said yes! and your helping people!!! i would like to say that i would do something like that but i cant because i probly wouldnt!!! and the sad thing is that i am only in 7th grade and i actually admit it!!! and there are adults that havent even figured tht out yet!!!! it just shows you how ungiving people really are!!but at least someone would rather give than recieve!!!-so a big thanks to your crew!!!! and a tip: please dont do anything else such as getting a dui again because i really couldnt live without your show!!!!! and the last thing is that i just got blisters from my new shoes and i tried lotion on it it actualy works better than after shave(ED)- so lots of love sent from the east(us)
Dearest Ty,
I have watched your show since the first airing of Trading Spaces. I have been hooked since. I am amazed with the work you do. It is awesome!! The way you and your crew go out of your way. My home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and I rebuilt it myself. It was alot of work and hard work but it was worth it. I admire the way you get it done in such a short time. All of your work is beautiful. The most admiring thing about you is the fact that you take people and their needs to heart. If the world had more people like you it would be alot better place. We need more people like you and your crew. I just want to say... give yourself and your crew a big pat on the back, you all deserve it. Would love to meet you someday to give you that pat on the back, but we know that wont happen, so I will leave it up to you. May God bless you everyday.
Hi, I already posted comment, about being learning disabled, if not for my daughter, I would have been home less, sold my house about to go into fore closure, bought a new home suitable for now. Son in United States Navy. I don't know how much longer can continue to pay taxes on properties, need help. I have to find a way to support my self. I can not pass test, also I can not let ex-husband find out my address, long story.
HI, I am learning disabeled, trying to find ways to support my self, If it was not for my daughter, I would have been home less, because my other home was about to go into fore,closure. I have a son in the united States Navy, long story. I got a new home, which is suitable for now, very cold at times, not sure how I will be able to afford to continue, paying taxes on properties, need help. I can not pass test or be sucessful. please help.
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enough! the show is so un-orginal and so predictable... sick child or dead parent, 1/2 built house, crew cries, new house... I just described all their seasons.