What is Ty Pennington's Net Worth and Salary?
Ty Pennington is an American television host, model, philanthropist, and carpenter who has a net worth of $4 million. Ty Pennington is best known for hosting shows like "Trading Spaces" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." He also manufactures a line of furniture for the Howard Miller Company and has enjoyed a number of lucrative endorsement deals, notably with Sears and Lumber Liquidators. In 2003, Ty wrote a do-it-yourself guide on home improvement titled "Ty's Tricks: Home Repair Secrets Plus Cheap and Easy Projects to Transform Any Room."
He released the first issue of his quarterly magazine called "Ty Pennington at Home," in May 2007. The magazine featured many of his techniques, as well as the techniques of other interior designers. This magazine also gave his fans and avid interior designers a look at some of his original work, and bits and pieces of his busy life. Pennington is active in charity work and has participated in campaigns such as Access Surf Hawaii, which helps kids with disabilities learn to surf and play other water sports, Wonders of the Heart contest by Bayer Aspirin, and participated in a celebrity soccer match fundraiser for the Los Angeles Children's Hospital.
Ty Pennington Salary
What was Ty Pennington's salary per episode of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? $75,000.
Early Life
He was born Gary Tygert Burton on October 19, 1964, in Atlanta, Georgia. He later adopted the surname "Pennington" after his stepfather and began using the name Ty Pennington professionally. =
He was primarily raised by his mother, Yvonne Vickery, as his mother separated from his biological father when Pennington was very young. His mother later remarried, and her husband adopted Pennington and his older brother, Wynn. Pennington attended Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia. He later attended Kennesaw State University, where he majored in art and history. He primarily took courses at night and earned money during the day by landscaping and providing carpentry services. While he was already quite skilled as a carpenter, considering he had taught himself woodworking while still a teenager, he initially did not think he wanted to pursue carpentry professionally. Instead, he was interested in pursuing the arts. He ultimately transferred to the Art Institute of Atlanta, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in graphic design.
Modeling and Design Career
While in his final semester of school, Pennington was approached by a modeling scout and was able to begin a lucrative career as a model. He worked with J. Crew, Swatch, Sprite, Diet Coke, Levi's, Macy's, and Bayer, among other companies, in various modeling and advertising campaigns. He was able to travel as a model, visiting countries like Japan, Thailand, Italy, Canada, and Germany.
Pennington later began working as a set designer, allowing him to combine his interests in design and carpentry. He worked as a set designer for "Leaving Las Vegas," among other productions. He was also the owner and designer of his own company, Furniture Unlimited, based in Atlanta and Los Angeles.
Television Career
In 2000, he caught a big break when he was cast as the primary carpenter in the home makeover show, "Trading Spaces," on The Learning Channel (TLC). The show became quite popular, and Pennington remained in the role from 2000 to 2003, later returning to the show in 2007. In 2003, Pennington also acted in the independent film, "The Adventures of Ociee Nash," in which he played the character Wilbur Wright.
Also in 2003, ABC began developing a new concept for a show in which a deserving family would be selected to receive a home makeover. Pennington was chosen as the leader of the design team and host of the show after ABC was impressed with his presence on "Trading Spaces." The show, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," was originally planned to be a 13-part special. However, it became such a huge hit that it was turned into a recurring season. It also helped Pennington land an endorsement deal with Sears, who sponsored the show. Pennington was very dedicated to the show and often worked through strained muscles and food poisoning to make sure the makeovers went according to schedule. The show came to an end in 2012 after completing nine seasons and providing makeovers for more than 200 homes.
While filming "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Pennington also landed the hosting role on "Ty's Great British Adventure" in 2008. The show follows Pennington as he worked with communities throughout England to restore parks and public spaces in various small towns in the country.
After "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" ended in 2012, Pennington was cast in the lifestyle-based talk show "The Revolution," which aired on ABC in January. The show was canceled after six months, leading Pennington to pursue other goals. He later returned to television in January of 2021 when HGTV debuted "Ty Breaker," a show that features Pennington helping families who need to redesign their homes to be more functional. He also joined the HGTV renovation competition series "Rock the Block" as the host for the show's second season, which premiered in March of 2021. He reprised the role for the show's third season in 2022.
Books and Other Work
Throughout his career, Pennington has also published a couple of books. In 2003, he authored "Ty's Tricks: Home Repair Secrets Plus Cheap and Easy Projects to Transform Any Room." A few years later, in 2008, he published "Good Design Can Change Your Life: Beautiful Rooms, Inspiring Stories." He also has worked as a spokesperson for various brands. In July of 2008, he announced a 3-year partnership with Marketplace Events, the largest organizer of consumer remodeling, home décor, and gardening shows in North America. In 2014, he became the spokesperson for Guaranteed Rate, a residential mortgage company located in Chicago. He has appeared in a number of commercials and advertisements for the lender.
Personal Life
Ty Pennington began dating Kellee Merrell in 2020. In July of 2021, he announced that the couple were engaged. They got married on November 27, 2021, in Savannah, Georgia.
Pennington has openly discussed that he suffered behavioral problems as a child and teenager until he was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 17. He has partnered with Shire Plc to raise awareness of ADHD in adults and promotes the use of Vyvanse for the treatment of adult ADHD.
Personal Homes
In addition to remodeling many homes for other people, Ty has purchased and renovated a number of homes for himself.
In 2004, Ty paid $1.11 million for a home in Venice, California. He performed a full remodel before listing it in December 2020 for $2.8 million. He accepted $2.495 million in June 2021.