Odds are that someone you know is familiar with the name Tyler Henry.
Henry, star of the Netflix series Life after Death with Tyler Henry, continues to be the most sought-after clairvoyant medium both in the United States and around the world. His first television show, E! Entertainment's mega-hit Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry, featured him giving readings to many celebrities, including Kris Jenner, RuPaul and Megan Fox. (Henry has said began receiving intuitive mental images when he was only 10 years old with the foretelling of his grandmother's death.)
The world-famous medium recently talked with Windy City Times about everything from his tour to coming out (twice) to his most moving celebrity reading.
Windy City Times: Let's just jump into talking about the tour ["An Evening of Hope and Healing"]. What can fans expect?
Tyler Henry: I'm really looking forward to it! Every live experience is different, but basically I share a little bit of my story and I share the three most important understandings I've learned in my work as a medium after doing thousands of readings. And that lends context for the next portion of the show, when I go out into the audience, share messages and do as many readings as I can. So it's an immersive evening, and you see things in an unedited way.
WCT: Here's a general question: You describe yourself as a medium and not a psychic, correct?
TH: Well, there are definitely distinctions. A medium's abilities are technically psychic, but not all psychics are mediums. As a medium, I'm basically an intermediary and my job is to relay messages that I happen to get intuitively. It has a history back to shamanism and spiritualism, but I'm basically a conduit.
WCT: Do you consider what you have an ability or gift, because I've seen you call it both.
TH: Well, my beliefs have gone back and forth as I've gotten older. I think, if anything, I've learned to look at it more as a capability or even a talent—but when applied the right way and under the right circumstances, it allows for the gift of reconnection. It's kind of like a muscle—it's about how it's used.
WCT: Are you ever contacted at weird or inappropriate moments?
TH: [Smiles] Sure, because I never completely turn off. But so long as I allow for certain times in my day to do readings, my life has some normalcy. But there are times when I'll be sitting with my boyfriend after work and I'll get an impression. On more than one occasion, I'll have him urgently call home and the message I was getting ended up applying.
WCT: You've basically come out twice in your life: as LGBTQ and as a medium. Was one more difficult than the other?
TH: My opinions have evolved over time. It's hard to say what was more difficult. I think being gay and the courage that's required to honor that truth came in handy when it came time to come out of the medium closet. Both things required a sense of self, awareness and courage.
WCT: And do you see yourself as a role model?
TH: Nope. I just see myself as a guy who does readings and I got lucky enough to do them on TV. I feel very thankful who resonate with the work that I do. I hope people can see the work I've done and the courage, and maybe they'll plan to do that themselves.
WCT: Is there someone you've maybe seen as a role model for you?
TH: Yeah—there are a lot of really talented mediums. There was John Edward, who came long before me. In many ways, I think the mediums of the past helped [blaze a trail] for the mediums of today. However, regarding inspirational people, there's [late LGBTQ+ icon] Harvey Milk. I've been inspired by his message of hope, and having it when times are hardest; that message really rang true when I was trying to figure out who I was.
By the way, I've seen the movie Milk about 13 times. When I was dating, I liked that as a first-date movie—which isn't really super-sexy. [Laughs]
WCT: You've talked about skeptics versus cynics. I'm a bit of a skeptic myself, but I believe you said you can accept skepticism more easily than cynicism, correct?
TH: Absolutely. I think skepticism is important to have; I think asking questions is how we find answers—the scientific method—and it has great value. What I do is subjectively meaningful to the people I read. I just try to focus on those I can help, and I understand that what I do is not for everybody. But it's [really] fascinating to see the process and the journey you get to go on with the person I read.
WCT: And I believe your mother recently discovered that something had happened to her. [In 2019, Henry's mother, Theresa Koelewyn, found out that the woman who raised her was not her biological mother—and was a convicted murderer, according to Today.] How is she doing?
TH: She's doing well, all things considered. In her pursuit of answers and trying to understand my mom's genealogy, I think we thought we were going to get closure at some point in the process. I think my greatest takeaway was that, if anything, closure is a work in progress; it's more like a comma than a period. I don't know if it's something that we'll fully obtain. But I saw how the search for truth can be liberating, at the very least.
WCT: What's the biggest misconception about mediums?
TH: I feel that folks think we're more all-knowing than we are. I think people expect mediums and psychics to know the lottery numbers and that we can tell them the future. We're not all-knowing but sometimes what we bring forward has value.
WCT: So do you feel this is your purpose in life, or do you feel this is something you can somehow evolve from?
TH: I don't think it's something I can ever get away from—and I don't think I'd want to. I feel it's been my calling. I'm very thankful to be able to go down this path. Being a conduit has been the goal.
WCT: Have you had a celebrity reading that surprised or really moved you?
TH: One of the most celebrity readings I had was probably with LaToya Jackson. The recognizability factor was huge—I immediately knew who she was and who she was there to connect with. It really was a challenge in that so much about that family is public knowledge so I had to connect with Michael Jackson, the human being, as opposed to Michael Jackson, the public figure—and they're intertwined. But I was able to bring forward some messages about what was going on his children's lives at the time. He came through as a human being who cared about his kids.
WCT: Over the past couple of years, we've all had the opportunity to think a lot about the state of the world and about ourselves. What did you realize about yourself?
TH: I think I've learned that discomfort is [needed for] growth. I've seen it in my own life and I think we've seen it collectively. We've seen hard problems and conversations thrust to the forefront, and I think they're necessary.
Tyler Henry is slated to appear at the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana's Hard Rock Live venue on Thursday, Nov. 17, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Visit thetylerhenrymedium.com and www.ticketmaster.com/event/05005CF4F63F873A .
