18 Lesser-Known Facts About The Hollywood Medium, Tyler Henry

Despite being just 22 years old, California native Tyler Henry - AKA, the Hollywood Medium - has carved out a pretty impressive career for himself. He's a medium to the stars, giving readings to everyone who's everyone in show business. He's got his own E! TV series, boasting guest stars like Meghan Fox, RuPaul, and Carmen Electra, and has developed a cult following on social media. With a career this illustrious at such a young age, who knows what Henry will do next? The world - and the Other Side - is his oyster!

But what about the man behind the Hollywood Medium? Henry may reveal the deepest secrets of many celebrities - and their deceased loved ones - on his TV show, but he's notoriously private about his own life! We know that he's proudly and openly gay, but other than that, Henry is a bit of a mystery. Luckily, though, you won't need to consult a clairvoyant to find out a bit more information about Tyler. We've got you covered! We've dug deep to find out some of the least-known titbits of information about the man who's bringing alleged psychic abilities to a whole new audience. Even Henry's biggest skeptics have to admit that he's had a pretty interesting life so far!

18 His Real Name Is Tyler Henry Koelewyn

While "Tyler Henry" is technically the Hollywood Medium's real name, it does chop off something pretty important: his surname! "Henry" is actually Tyler's middle name: his family name is actually Koelewyn! Unexpected, right? In an interview with Buzzfeed, Henry revealed that he dropped his actual surname some years ago - apparently, people just found it too hard to say! The man himself admits that it just has "too many vowels" to be practical enough for everyday use. Well, he's not wrong: it is a bit of a tricky one!

'Tyler Henry' flows off the tongue way better than 'Tyler Koelewyn'.

As The Outline notes, Henry was born in 1996 in a fairly small town named Hanford in central California. His parents, David and Theresa, raised Tyler to be pretty strictly religious. However, the family's religious outlook softened over time, and would now describe themselves as more "spiritual" than strictly Christian. Henry no longer lives in Hanford: according to Out.com, he moved to Los Angeles in his late teens when his career in the entertainment industry began to take off. Henry claims that this was a bit of a "culture shock" compared to his pretty quiet upbringing. However, he's beginning to adapt pretty well to the big city!

17 His First "Vision" Apparently Involved His Grandmother

If you think that Henry's success career-wise came at a young age, wait until you hear about the onset of his psychic abilities! According to The Outline, Tyler realized that he had a "gift" when he was just ten years of age. Talking to Out, he admitted that he'd seen signs that he was "different" earlier in life, but only got conclusive confirmation of his abilities at this later point. That's a pretty heavy burden for a young kid to carry! Still, it was a talent that, over his teenage years, Henry was able to shape into to a profitable and booming career.

The story of how Henry realized that he was a medium is a pretty sad one, all things considered. In an interview with IHeartRadio, he revealed to Ryan Seacrest that one night, he woke up knowing with absolute certainty that his grandmother - who at the time was suffering from cancer - was about to pass away. He warned his family that they should rush to her bedside, but sadly, it was too late. Just as Henry was telling his mother about his revelation, the phone rang with the news that his grandmother had just passed. It was a tragic way for young Tyler to discover that he had psychic powers.

16 He's Super-Close To His Mom

As anyone who's ever watched his Hollywood Medium show will know, Tyler Henry is incredibly close to his mother, Theresa. In a recent Facebook post, Tyler described his mom as his "one of his best friends", and someone he's glad he's had "by his side during this amazing journey." "By his side" is definitely an accurate way to describe their relationship - Theresa appears in pretty much every episode of The Hollywood Medium!

She drives her son to his readings, and the two have some entertaining conversations along the way.

One of Theresa's most memorable Hollywood Medium appearance came in an episode featuring the rapper Lil' Jon. At the time, it seemed like she knew more about the world of hip-hop and rap than her son! As E! noted, it looked like 50-year-old Theresa immediately recognized the rapper, whereas Tyler had no idea who his client was. Awkward! As it happens, Theresa was actually just faking it: Henry revealed to Buzzfeed that she actually didn't know who Lil' Jon was before she met him. However, she's since become a huge fan of the rapper and his music! She looked it up when she returned home following the reading and hasn't looked back since. Who'd have thought it!

15 He Used To Give Readings To His High School Teachers

Since Henry released that he had the gift of clairvoyance at such a young age, it's perhaps unsurprising that he used his teenage years to hone his skills. When he was still a bit too young to set up his own business, Tyler chose to practice doing readings wherever he could: including at school! Henry attended Sierra Pacific High School in his hometown of Hanford, California. According to SomeECards.com, he used his fellow students and even his teachers as test subjects! Talk about an interesting extra-curricular activity right there!

Unfortunately, Henry's high school experience doesn't seem to have been entirely positive. He told Outline.com that he had unspecified "trouble" in the traditional educational system. He elaborated on this in conversation with Out, hinting that his local community's fundamentalist religious views clashed with his abilities as a medium. Henry claims that people were "frightened by what I did", leading to social isolation. The fact that he was openly gay from a young age didn't help matters. To avoid the harsh words and ostracization of his fellow students, Henry opted for home-schooling, a move that allowed him to make the most of his clear academic talent. Tyler graduated aged just 16 thanks to an accelerated learning program!

14 He Says He Doesn't Know Much About Pop Culture Or Celebrities

Now, there are a lot of people out there who think that Tyler Henry doesn't have any psychic abilities at all. They claim that a lot of the information he claims to have "read" from his celebrity clients is easily accessed on Google, and thus not the product of an authentic reading. For example, PrettyFunnyGirl.com recalls the story of Henry's meeting with the music star Moby. Even Moby's own girlfriend, Lindsay Hicks, admitted that some of the "revelations" Tyler came out with were easily researched online. Still, Hicks came out of that reading totally convinced that Henry's abilities were genuine.

One of the ways that Henry gets around this criticism of his readings is by claiming he has little to no pop culture knowledge.

In fact, according to Jezebel, he actively states that he knows nothing about the majority of his clients before meeting them. Apparently, this is due to his small-town upbringing: he was cut off from a lot of mass media. According to Henry, this means that he hasn't even accessed information about celebrities that we would class as "easy to Google" - everything he says during his readings comes directly from his abilities as a medium. Not everyone is convinced that this is true, though. As Life and Style notes, Henry definitely knew at least something about Megan Fox before he met her: he basically had a fangirl moment when they met up! Interesting…

13 Henry Claims To Be A Clairvoyant

If you're not too familiar with Henry's exact supposed abilities and how his readings work, don't worry - we've got you covered! According to E! Online, Henry claims to be a clairvoyant, a medium, and a medical intuitive. But before you ask, there is actually a difference between these three gifts.

As E! notes, a clairvoyant is a psychic who sees images as a part of their reading; a medium uses a person's spiritual energy to get an insight into his or her life; a medical intuitive is someone who can specifically sense medical conditions in those who are living or deceased. That's a wide range of abilities for Henry to apparently possess!

As for Henry's specific methods, in an interview with Out, he laid some of his usual processes while conducting a reading. Firstly, he meditates in order to achieve a "clear" state of mind. He then begins to read his client, usually receiving visual "flashes" of information - these can be of a particular person, a word, or a symbol. Occasionally, Henry claims, he sees a full-body apparition of another being. Unsurprisingly, this takes it out of him physically: he apparently feels "overwhelmed" following a reading, hence why he sometimes looks "a little rough" on his show. To be fair, Tyler does often seem to sweat A LOT!

12 People Constantly Mistake Him For Macaulay Culkin

Have you ever found yourself thinking that Tyler Henry… Reminds you of someone? Have you had that feeling of deja vu, but not quite been able to put your finger on where's it's coming from? Well, let us open your eyes: Henry happens to look quite a bit like former child star and Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin.

Actually, the resemblance is pretty crazy; are they secretly the same person?!

Apparently not, according to Henry himself  -although the poor thing has been subject to a lot of comments about his look-a-like status in the past!

Speaking to Buzzfeed, Henry revealed that people regularly approach him in the street believing him to be Culkin. Even when he denies it to their faces, some of the actor's fans just don't quit! In many cases, poor Tyler actually gets a bit offended by the comparison, mainly down to the fact that Culkin is 36 years old - does Henry really look THAT old? He's only 22! Turns out Culkin isn't the only actor Tyler gets mistaken for, either: apparently, he recently was approached by a young fan of Thirteen Reasons Why who was convinced that he was Dylan Minnette! Now that's a resemblance that's slightly more difficult to see…

11 He Originally Wanted To Be A Hospice Nurse

Before Tyler Henry was "discovered" by the TV industry and became the Hollywood Medium, he had a very different career path in mind. In a slightly morbid turn of events, after graduating from high school Henry decided to pursue a career as a hospice nurse, with The Outline claiming that this was due to his obsession with the deceased. Whatever the case, Henry actually enrolled in college to pursue this dream: he briefly studied at West Hills College, Coalinga, before dropping out and entering the entertainment industry.

Speaking to Out, Henry shed a bit more insight into the sequence of events that led to him dropping his dream to become a nurse. Apparently, Tyler himself couldn't see into his future and check whether this was the right career path for him. Instead, a different psychic told him that he was actually destined to work in the TV industry! While Henry liked the idea of being a hospice carer - and the fact it meant he'd be directly helping others - but eventually, the other medium's prediction came true. They'd claimed that aged 19, Henry would get his big break. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened! His show was commissioned by E!, and nursing took a back seat.

10 He's Pretty Close To The Kardashian-Jenner Family

While Henry has come into contact with dozens of celebrities on Hollywood Medium and beyond, he's got a particular connection with the Kardashian-Jenner clan. A lot of members of this famous family have received readings from Tyler! For example, Khloe Kardashian appeared on Henry's show in 2017 in an episode that's recently come back into the public eye. As E! notes, many people have claimed that Henry predicted Khloe's infamous drama with her baby daddy Tristan Thompson nearly a year before it all went down!

He claimed that Khloe's love life was not an area that was going to "reach its peak" anytime soon. Oh dear…

It's not just the Kardashians who have shown up on Henry's show, though - the opposite is true too! As the Daily Mail notes, Tyler appeared on a 2015 episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians - before his own show had even begun airing. He gave readings to Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe, and discussed his gift with the sisters. Khloe even admitted that she sometimes feels "energies" and has heightened intuition that she believes could be classed as "psychic" abilities! Maybe that's why she's been so calm so far about the Tristan Thomspon situation - she already knows exactly how it'll all pan out…

9 Not Everyone Believes He's A True Psychic

As we've already noted, not everyone out there is convinced that Tyler Henry actually has psychic abilities - or that such a phenomenon actually exists at all. NickiSwift.com seems utterly convinced that Henry is a fraud, and lists a number of reasons as to why this is the case. Firstly, Tyler apparently uses "props" that will give him an idea of a client's past without actually "reading them." In the case of Matt Lauer, for example, this was an old pocket knife belonging to the TV host's late father - a sure sign that talking about a passing in the family will be accurate.

On top of this, the Skeptical Inquirer claims that Henry is something that they call a "grief vampire": someone who preys on those who have suffered a loss and uses fake "abilities" to get money from them. Apparently, the evidence for this comes from the fact that Henry's ultimate goal is to work with families of teenage suicide victims, something that the publication considers to be exploitative and immoral. For his part, Henry is aware of the criticism that he faces. He told Bustle that he doesn't really care about what others think, and doesn't "invest a lot" into whether a client is a skeptic or not. He just does what he sees as his job, and his calling.

8 He Doesn't Just Read Celebrities

If you're wondering whether Tyler Henry exclusively performs readings on the rich and famous, then you might be surprised - he works with us "ordinary" folk too! According to Bustle, Henry's official website allows anyone to sign up to get an appointment with the man himself. However, if you're hoping he can book you in next week, you're in for a disappointment.

In 2016, Henry's waiting list was almost 15,000 people long - and it's probably gone up a fair bit since then! He's an in-demand guy, clearly!

If waiting possibly years for a reading isn't quite your style, there are some other ways of contacting Tyler. According to Life and Style, he occasionally gives away Skype readings for free on social media! It's a long shot, sure, but if you're REALLY desperate to meet Henry, this could be your avenue. Plus, it's free - something which Henry's usual appointments most definitely aren't. As Bustle notes, Tyler doesn't publish his rates anywhere on his website but considering his new celebrity status, they're likely to be pretty high. A cheaper option is attending one of his live events, but you're unlikely to get an intense and lengthy one-to-one reading in that situation! You might just have to settle for watching Henry read an array of celebrities on his show instead.

7 His Reading Of The Late Alan Thicke Made Headlines

The reading that's perhaps given Tyler Henry the most publicity in his career so far is his experience with the actor Alan Thicke. At the time, it wasn't particularly notable. As E! notes, Henry warned Thicke that health-wise, blood pressure would be an issue for all of the men in his family. He added that a male relative of Thicke's wished to pass on the message that the actor shouldn't be stubborn and succumb to a heart condition like he did. It was a stark warning, but not too much of a departure from the subject of some of Henry's previous readings. As a medical intuitive, he often picks up on health-related information.

However, things took a turn when just three months later, Thicke passed away. E! reported that his cause of death was a "ruptured aorta" - an injury to the heart. Many people highlighted the fact that Henry had mentioned this kind of illness to Thicke in his reading: as Life and Style reported, it seemed to give the Hollywood Medium an added layer of legitimacy. Other commentators were less convinced, however: the Skeptical Inquirer claimed that this was just a lucky guess by Henry, noting that heart-related illnesses are common amongst men of Thicke's age. It could have just been one big coincidence.

6 He Claims To Have Connected With Michael Jackson

One of Tyler Henry's most recent Hollywood Medium episodes - the season finale, in fact - featured singer La Toya Jackson, the sister of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. In a dramatic and emotional reading, Henry claimed to have made contact with MJ and gave La Toya some pretty heart-wrenching messages. According to Good Housekeeping, the spirit of Michael Jackson told Henry that he had felt abandoned at a time he was vulnerable, presumably by Conrad Murray - the doctor charged with his death. The Daily Mail elaborates on Henry's exact claims: apparently, Jackson's spirit communicated to him that he knew "something was wrong while he was alone", but was unable to call for help.

Understandably, La Toya was left pretty upset by this information.

According to Good Housekeeping, she told Hollywood Medium's producers that she "just wanted to cry" while hearing what Henry had to say. However, the information that Henry gave La Toya also afforded her some closure. She stated that until then, she - and the rest of Michael's family - hadn't really known whether Murray had left his patient alone shortly before his passing, as the doctor's story had changed during his trial. She felt that Henry's reading gave her the confirmation that she needed. Whether you're a skeptic or not, it's clear that La Toya felt that she got a lot out of her session with Henry.

5 He's A Huge Fan Of RuPaul's Drag Race

Just like a rather large portion of the world's population, Tyler Henry is a huge fan of RuPaul's Drag Race, one of the most popular reality shows on TV. For the uninitiated, Drag Race pits some of America's best and brightest drag queens against each other as they fight for the title of America's Next Drag Superstar. The contest is presided over by RuPaul himself, one of the most famous drag queens of all time. In an interview with Buzzfeed, Henry revealed that Drag Race was his guilty TV pleasure. He'd been left super excited when Alexis Michelle, a Season Nine contestant, actually mentioned him while taking part in the show.

However, things were about to get way better for RuPaul superfan Tyler. In 2017, he actually got the opportunity to feature the man himself on his Hollywood Medium show! As E! reports, Henry gave RuPaul an emotional reading in which the drag icon communicated with the spirit of his much-loved mother, who passed away some years ago. Interestingly, RuPaul then revealed that while pregnant with him, his mother had visited a psychic herself, who'd told her that the boy she was carrying would be a star! That's one prediction that's most definitely come true.

4 He Told Snooki That He Believes In Aliens

Another much-discussed episode of Hollywood Medium involved Tyler Henry's reading of Jersey Shore star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi. Viewers knew that they were in for some intense viewing before the reading even began. As E! noted at the time, before he'd even met Snooki, Henry was visibly reduced to tears in a taxi after getting a "message" from a spirit linked to the star. This young woman had apparently passed away before her time in tragic circumstances and communicated some pretty intense feelings to Henry. Snooki and her family were shocked when Henry related this story, as it related to someone they'd known and loved - Lex, Snooki's stepsister, who'd passed away a year earlier due to a substance dependency.

Following this revelation, Snooki became increasingly comfortable around Henry, and even began to ask him some questions of her own!

As Metro notes, the star asked Tyler whether he believed in aliens! Speaking to Foxtel, Henry revealed that this was one of the toughest questions he's ever been asked. He claims that he "doesn't claim to know all the answers", but still tries to "tell what he can see". Whether there are extraterrestrials out there in the wider universe isn't something that's in his line of sight right now!

3 His Abilities Can Make Romantic Relationships Difficult

What's it like being a part of the dating scene when you're a medium? Well, sometimes pretty difficult, according to Tyler Henry! As E! reported earlier in the year, Henry has been in a relationship with a photographer named Clint for around a year now, and the two are insanely cute together! However, Tyler's psychic abilities can get in the way of their relationship from time-to-time. For example, he told E! News that he frequently gets messages from Clint's deceased relatives, even when he doesn't ask for them. Henry finds it difficult to "go back to focusing on what he was doing" without sharing these fragments of conversation with Clint, who's luckily very understanding about it all.

In fact, it was arguably the fact that Henry possesses psychic abilities that brought this cute pair together! Tyler told People that Clint's grandfather passed on two weeks before the now-couple met, and sent him messages from the other side encouraging him to connect with his grandson. Then, according to E!, Clint's mother came to Tyler for a reading and introduced the medium to her son… And the rest, as they say, is history! It's a pretty unconventional "how we met" story, but hey - that's not necessarily a bad thing!

2 He's An Author As Well As A Medium

Since his TV show Hollywood Medium started airing in 2016, Tyler Henry's career has totally blown up. He's now got many strings to his bow - not only is he a medium and a TV personality, he's also a published author! According to AOL, Henry's book Between Two Worlds is an account of his life and his experiences - from the time of his first clairvoyant reading, right up to the present day. It also contains titbits of wisdom and consolation from the medium, who claims that "dying doesn't have to mean saying goodbye."

Henry's book also addresses in detail his feelings regarding his various critics and skeptics.

According to The Huffington Post, Henry believes that there's no point trying to change the mind of cynics - they've already made up their minds not to believe in the paranormal or supernatural. However, skeptics may be swayed if you provide them with enough evidence. At first, Henry's own father was pretty disapproving of his career as a medium and was one of the biggest skeptics Tyler knew. However, he's now apparently one of his son's biggest fans! Still, Tyler knows it's not worth his energy to try and convert every single one of his critics out there. We all have to live with the knowledge that not everyone in this world likes us, and the Hollywood Medium is no exception.

1 He Once Won A Less-Than-Flattering Award

Speaking of Tyler Henry's critics, there's one particular incident in his career so far that proves just how much some people don't trust the Hollywood Medium and his work. On their website, The Independent Investigations Group claim that in 2015 they awarded Henry something they've named the "Truly Terrible Television" Award. According to the Group, Henry deserved this award due to the fact that his show is totally ridiculous and apparently staged. They called Hollywood Medium a show in which Henry "visits with D-List celebrities and makes embarrassingly broad predictions about their careers, and occasionally channels the dead in an equally unconvincing manner." Well. These guys certainly don't pull their punches!

One publication that seems to support The Independent Investigations Group's assessment of Henry is Queerty, which loves to bring up the fact that Tyler once won this "prestigious" award. Queerty has in the past referred to Henry as "Hollywood's biggest 22-year-old scam artist" and a "garden variety scammer." It's not for us to judge whether Henry is, in fact, a genuine medium and clairvoyant or not. Whatever the case, his antics certainly make compelling viewing - and his series doesn't seem to be leaving our screens anytime in the near future!

References: Buzzfeed; Out.com; Outline; IHeartRadio; Tyler Henry on Facebook; E! Online; SomeECards.com; PrettyFunnyGirl.com; Life and Style; Jezebel; E! Online; E! Online; Daily Mail; Skeptical Inquirer; Nicki Swift; Bustle; Life and Style; Bustle; E!; Life and Style; Skeptical Inquirer; Daily Mail; Good Housekeeping; E! Online; Foxtel; E! Online; Metro; E! Online; People; E! Online; AOL; Huffington Post; The Independent Investigations Group; Queerty