The online discussion took exactly the expected turn when people began to notice that Tyler Henry appeared different. Comments accumulated. Screenshots went viral. The conjecture strayed into the customary cruel territory reserved on the internet for public figures whose bodies undergo noticeable physical changes. The fact that Henry had undergone several brain surgeries is something that the majority of people perusing those comment threads were unaware of or didn’t care to learn. It wasn’t a lifestyle issue that caused the weight gain. It had to do with medicine.
Born in Hanford, California, on January 13, 1996, Henry became well-known thanks to Hollywood Medium on E!, a program that portrayed him as a young clairvoyant who would deliver messages from departed family members to bereaved families. The format produced captivating television because it was almost intentionally emotionally charged. Later, he expanded his reach to a worldwide audience by moving to Netflix with Life After Death with Tyler Henry.
By the time he was in his late twenties, he had written two books, amassed over a million Instagram followers, and established himself as one of the more well-known figures in the admittedly specialized field of televised mediumship. Then came the health issue that seemed to have been plaguing him all of his life.
This particular cyst, a colloid cyst deep within the brain, had been there since birth. Although these growths are benign, benign does not imply harmless. They can obstruct the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and result in dangerously high pressure inside the skull when they are positioned where they usually are, close to the third ventricle. In his public accounts of the surgery and its aftermath, Henry revealed a detail that most people would find unsettling: he woke up during one of the procedures.
Additionally, he talked about having what he called an “out-of-body” experience during the procedure, which attracted a lot of attention on its own considering his professional identity. Videos of Henry talking about the experience were posted by Howie Mandel, and hundreds of thousands of people responded to them on Facebook and Instagram.
The physical changes that people observed, such as the overall weight gain and the fuller face, are easily explained by what occurs following major brain surgery. Prednisone and other corticosteroids, which lessen swelling and inflammation in brain tissue, must be used extensively during recovery. These medications are effective, and they are frequently required in post-operative situations.
However, they have a consistent set of adverse effects, including changes in appetite, fluid retention, and a redistribution of fat to the face that results in what is clinically referred to as Cushingoid features, or moon face. When it occurs to someone on camera, it’s difficult to ignore. Additionally, it is completely transient and goes away when the medication is reduced. It was immediately apparent to a number of commentators on Mandel’s posts who had family members undergo comparable surgeries.
During his recuperation, Henry wrote on Instagram that he was healing well and that the removal of the cyst had “been a weight on me for a long time.” The wording was most likely deliberate, and it struck a different chord with those who were aware of his experiences. Tens of thousands of people liked the post, and celebrities like Ricki Lake, Amanda Kloots, and Holly Robinson Peete left a plethora of encouraging remarks. This showed how well-known his predicament had become in some circles.
Beneath all the noise about appearance, it’s important to remember that Henry had a brain abnormality from birth and spent years doing emotionally taxing work on television. The physical reality of what he endured is not particularly unclear, regardless of whether you accept what he does professionally or approach it with skepticism (reasonable people fall on both sides of that). In any case, brain surgery is a serious procedure. A mid-operative awakening, several procedures, and a steroid-intensive recuperation are not exactly insignificant details.
In recent weeks, he has resumed his regular posting schedule. He has appeared on Mandel’s content, discussed upcoming tour dates, and shared the kind of informal videos that seem to show someone returning to normal life rather than continuing to deal with a crisis. His face resembles the one that viewers are familiar with from Netflix. The cyst has disappeared. Regardless of Tyler Henry’s future career path, he overcame a truly challenging situation, and his appearance during the process was always the least fascinating aspect of the narrative.
