Ty Pennington says being body shamed only makes him want to ‘continue to post videos’
Ty Pennington wants people to stop making comments about others’s bodies after being body shamed.
The former Trading Spaces contractor, 58, reflected on hateful comments he received on a video he posted on Instagram in Jan. 2022 of himself dancing in his swim trunks on a beach.
“I didn’t even plan it. I just had to move, man. I was like: When Booker T. & the M.G.’s comes on, I’m gonna groove, man. So I had no idea 1) that it would get so many views and 2) it would get so many reactions,” he tells Yahoo Life. “The funny part is, [at first, I had my shorts] very low — and then I hiked ’em up to like my nipples. So that’s the joke. But even then I got comments.”
Pennington shared that he was called “disgusting,” “old,” “gross” and “fat” in the comments section below the fun video. The reaction was both unexpected and disheartening.
“The main point is you don’t have to waste your time making negative comments about anybody’s body, about anybody’s dance capabilities, about anybody’s anything. All you can say is: ‘Oh, I like that song.’ That would be lovely. Or, you know, ‘You may want to get a belt.’ That I can handle,” he said. “I just find it interesting that even I — who’s loved by just about everybody, it’s not like I was voted off an island, I’ve helped people do great things in life — was shamed.”
It also made him reflect on people who may be dealing with difficult relationships with their body.
“If you’re gonna take the time to shame somebody like me — who’s just a regular guy, who’s not fat, not skinny, just an average guy — then what are you saying to other people who are worse off in either direction?” he said. “It’s important that we all remember how painful it can be — to a male or female — who thinks they posted something funny about themselves, having a good time, and that turns into this absolute shaming, where they feel disgusted about themselves and it goes straight to depression. It’s just not OK in my book.”
Pennington reminded people of the reality of aging in a follow up Instagram post in Feb. 2022, sharing that it had been 22 years since his debut on television. “No, I don’t have a six pack anymore or a luscious head of hair (with frosted tips 🤣) but what I do have is wisdom, empathy, life lessons and at 57 years old, I’ve TRULY never been happier! Anyways, all this to say: I’m human and I have feelings,” he wrote.
Ty Pennington says being body shamed only makes him want to ‘continue to post videos’. Ty Pennington says being body shamed only makes him want to ‘continue to post videos’
ORDER A COPY OF ROB’S NEW BEST SELLING BOOK! Called “America’s Number ONE Gossip Columnist” by The National Enquirer. Rob ‘Naughty But Nice’ Shuter breaks celebrity news every day on his website NaughtyGossip.com where he delivers all the dish about the stars we love in his naughty but nice signature style. You can also catch him co-hosting and breaking celebrity news on Good Day New York, The Today Show, The Talk, Wendy Williams Show, CNN, Extra and Z100’s ‘Elvis Duran.’ Previously, Rob was the Huffington Post’s only celebrity columnist and the former executive editor of OK! Magazine. Rob has also hosted his own Saturday night talk show on Mark Cuban’s channel and his own daily morning show, ‘The Gossip Table,’ on VH1! Breaking some of the biggest entertainment stories, including Jamie Lynn Spears’s pregnancy news, Britney’s first post-meltdown interview, Eva Longoria’s wedding, and baby exclusives for Jessica Alba, Tori Spelling and Mathew McConaughey’s tots, Rob always knows where to find the best scoop. Before Rob was one of the world’s most successful entertainment reporters, he was a publicist working for Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, P. Diddy, Jessica Simpson and Jon Bon Jovi! Now he is bringing all this experience to his new show on I HEART MEDIA in his unique cheeky way, that is always a pinch and never a punch!