Longtime HGTV star Ty Pennington is finally addressing the elephant in the room. When ABC announced in May 2024 that it was rebooting “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” — the hugely popular series Pennington hosted from 2004 to 2012 — many fans were shocked the renovation expert wasn’t part of the cast.
In a funny video posted to social media on March 13, 2025 — over two months after the reboot premiered — Pennington admitted he’s frequently asked why he isn’t on the series, sarcastically insisting he’s “fine” with it. But many HGTV stars and fans lovingly jumped into the comment section to let him know they’re “not fine” with his absence from the show.
Ty Pennington Used Funny ‘Friends’ Clip to Illustrate His Awkward Response When People Ask About ABC’s Reboot
Pennington, known for his goofy and sarcastic posts on social media, uploaded a video of himself lip-syncing to an audio clip from a “Friends” episode in which Ross was trying to convince Rachel and Joey he was “fine” with them dating.
In Pennington’s video, he dramatically reenacted the scene, mouthing, “I’m fine! Totally fine! I don’t know why it’s coming out all loud and squeaky, ’cause really — I’m fine!”
He also added text on the video that said, “When someone asks me why I’m not on THAT 👀 show” and captioned the reel by writing, “No, really, I’m FINE! 😅📢🏚️”
The “Rock the Block” host added multiple hashtags to reiterate that he’s relatively okay with not being asked back to the show, including #itsallgood, #nohardfeelings, and #thatsshowbizbaby. He then hilariously included his famous motto on the show — #movethatbus — followed by the hashtag #rightoverme.
Though Pennington was clearly trying to make light of an awkward situation, many of his HGTV colleagues and fans flooded him with supportive comments, including “No Demo Reno” star Jenn Todryk who wrote, “But WE’RE not fine with it! 😂”
“Revealed” star Veronica Valencia, who led the design teams behind the scenes on the new “Home Town Takeover,” sweetly wrote, “TY… you already know how much we love you and how I personally feel about you and your unwavering support throughout the years…. but just so you can hear it again, you will forever and always be EXTREME to me. You holding that megaphone and screaming across the country (with your pants falling off your butt!) is the reason why I am where I am today. Thank you for being you. We love you bud!!!”
Pennington’s “Battle on the Beach” co-star Taniya Nayak chimed in, “Haaaaa! Laughter always wins. And you my sweet friend are winning 🌟”
Among the more than 1,200 followers who liked Pennington’s post were many more of his HGTV colleagues including Egypt Sherrod, Mike Jackson, Cole DeBoer, Mike Kleinschmidt, and Bryan Baeumler.
Ratings for the ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ Reboot Didn’t Impress
GettyActress Reese Witherspoon‘s production company was behind the “Extreme Makeover” reboot, hosted by master organizers and designers Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, best known for their lifestyle brand The Home Edit. The cast also included designers Wendell Holland and Arianne Bellizaire, with crews from homebuilder Taylor Morrison handling the construction.
“Like the original series,” an ABC press release stated, “this reimagining will showcase heartwarming stories, inspired volunteers and mind-blowing builds for deserving families who give back to their communities.”
Fans also weighed in on Pennington’s post, expressing how bummed they were that he wasn’t part of the reboot. When one asked “But WHY AREN’T YOU ON THAT SHOW???,” Pennington replied with a single emoji — “🤷🏻♂️”
He also replied with red heart emoji to multiple fans who shared their disappointment, including one who wrote, “But YOU are extreme makeover home edition 😢 what were they thinking?😭😭”
In hindsight, ABC may regret not including Pennington given the reboot’s ratings. The January 2 premiere had a “decent showing,” according to The TV Ratings Guide, but ratings declined as the eight-episode series continued through February. The outlet called ABC’s temporary Thursday night lineup of shows, which the reboot was part of, a “ratings disaster.” ABC has not announced whether the reboot will return for another season.
Meanwhile, Pennington can next be seen on season 6 of HGTV’s “Rock the Block,” premiering on April 14. He also hosts the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” app, voicing an animated version of himself in the game.
Comments
Stars Support Ty Pennington After He Addresses His Absence From ‘Extreme Makeover’ Reboot