Tyrus is a lot of things, but “typical” isn’t one of them. Unless, perhaps, we’re talking about wrestling.
Tyrus holds the NWA World Television Championship. On most nights, he can be found on the “Gutfeld!” show wearing his enormous NWA belt over his shoulder, flashing what looks like a gang sign and jokingly saying, “Come and get it.”
But he wasn’t always the large and in-charge “elephant in every room,” as he describes himself.
At one time, he was a little boy abused and abandoned by his father. He was a “black child” not allowed in his white grandfather’s home. He was a child separated from his mother and living with a foster family. He was a young teen reunited with his mother in a place where alcohol and drugs were more available than food.
Tyrus’s story is the fantasy of every child who’s been abused when they were too young and too vulnerable to do anything about it. Every mistreated child wants to grow up and avenge him or herself by growing up into a powerful giant and putting abusers in their place. They want to create such a powerful presence that they’ll never again be vulnerable to the intentional harm inflicted by others.
That’s precisely what happened to Tyrus.
In a recent interview about his 2022 book, “Just Tyrus: A Memoir,” he spoke about the day his stepfather took him outside to put him in his place. The stepfather drank regularly, and in his perpetually altered state, he hadn’t noticed how much Tyrus had grown. After his stepfather threw the first punch, teenage Tyrus laid him out. The police were called, but ultimately it was the stepfather who was in trouble for illegally challenging a minor to a physical fight. That was the last time his stepfather got physical with Tyrus.
Tyrus was athletic and willing to work, so he excelled at sports. He had a coach whom he credits with helping him believe in himself. He played football through college and got his degree. He worked in nonprofit child welfare organizations with boys similar to his younger self. His lived experience informed his work with those boys as much or more than did his college degree. He understood their rage when their routine was interrupted by something as seemingly insignificant as their bowl of cereal being late. He had gone without food many times, and he understood that one meal can prepare you to face what comes next.
His size opened doors for him to be a nightclub bouncer, and while doing that work, rapper Snoop Dogg hired him to be a bodyguard. It was there, while working for Snoop, that he got his big break in wrestling.
He wasn’t an overnight success, but he knew from experience how to persist. He refused to give up. Through exhilaration and frustrating disappointments, Tyrus finally became what he had strived to be: a major player in professional wrestling. And then, everything changed.
One night, Tyrus shared something on Twitter that had been posted by Greg Gutfeld, a commentator on Fox News. Within minutes, Gutfeld contacted him and invited him to his new late-night show.
It never occurred to Tyrus that he might become a late-night talk show co-host, but that’s what happened. From there, he became a Fox News contributor, another opportunity that he never saw coming. One surprise led to the next, with the most recent being his book, “Just Tyrus,” becoming a best seller.
The book “Just Tyrus” is real and raw—just like its author. In it, he shares some of his story in the hopes that he'll connect with the young men who he refers to as “the lost boys.” He dedicated his book to those boys who are growing up with little direction, care, or nurturing.
His advice to single moms is: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Look for programs in your neighborhood like Big Brothers Big Sisters and YMCA. Get your kids signed up for sports and activities to keep them busy. Always do what’s best for your kids.”
Tyrus credits his foster parents with his good morals, work ethic, and parenting. His message to foster parents acknowledges that raising other people’s kids is hard work. He has the utmost respect for the good people who take in children they weren’t responsible for and put up with disrespect and behaviors they didn’t create. He quickly noted that those efforts paid off for him, and he’s grateful to the people who took him and his brother in when his family didn’t want them.
He’s living his version of the American dream: from abandonment, abuse, and foster care to just about everywhere.
