Famed psychic medium Tyler Henry has returned to Netflix with his brand new live format show, ‘Live from The Other Side with Tyler Henry,’ where he attempts to communicate with the dead while interacting with celebrity guests. Consisting of eight episodes, the series is released weekly, with each episode airing live at 6 p.m. ET.
Since the premiere dropped on the streaming platform, the curiosity surrounding Tyler’s personal life and family has skyrocketed. Today, we’re addressing the shocking family revelations concerning his grandmother, which was extensively shown on his previous Netflix show two years ago.
The Haunting Legacy of Tyler Henry’s Grandmother Stella Guidry Nestle
Back in ‘Life After Death With Tyler Henry,’ which aired on Netflix in 2022, the Hollywood medium got into some crazy family mystery about his grandmother, Stella Mary Guidry Nestle, who is not actually related to him. In 2019, thanks to DNA testing at home, Tyler’s mother, Theresa Koelewyn, discovered that the woman who raised her, who she called ‘mom’ her entire life, was not biologically related to her.
The whole story behind her adoption is still unclear, but it is believed that a white woman named Stella (her ethnicity is not detailed) took her from a hospital in New Orleans. This shocking discovery made Theresa think she had been kidnapped as a child. Further, Theresa described Stella as a con artist and a criminal who spent 30 years in prison. She shared how Stella used her to manipulate others, taking her to different churches to trick people into giving money.
So, who about her true origins? Who was her biological mother? Thanks to help from Tyler, Theresa learned that her real mom is a New Orleans woman named Mary, a struggling single mother with two children. It is thought that Stella convinced her to give up the baby because she was not in a good place financially. Mary later had a mental breakdown after giving up her child, and when the two finally reunited after decades, Theresa’s mother couldn’t contain her joy.
Earlier, when Stella, whose husband is Gwle Nestle, returned to Hanford, California, she introduced Theresa to her kids, Peter and Felicia, who are Black. It left everyone scratching their heads because their new sister was white. But at the time, nobody really questioned it, and the kids just assumed Theresa was their full sister because Stella was dating a white man at the time. So, they naturally thought Stella might have gotten pregnant and given birth in New Orleans.
Theresa, Peter, and Felicia grew up in a messy, abusive household. The siblings recalled a lot of painful memories from their childhood because of Stella. The constant neglect and mistreatment were a regular occurrence at home, with Peter occasionally getting locked in a closet for long periods. The family also lacked basic needs like food and medical care; shockingly, they were never even taken to a dentist or doctor. Through it all, Peter and Felicia stuck together, looking out for each other and building a tight bond despite all the hardships.
Even with all the abuse, Peter remained loyal to Stella, out of a strong religious belief that every person should honor their parents, irrespective of how they treat them. Stella later used that loyalty to rope him into criminal activity.
When Peter was 18, Stella called him to Fowler Motel where she worked, and showed him the bodies of the owner, Wen Li Wang, and her boyfriend, Wai Lee, who were tied up and killed. She made up some story about four Mexican guys being responsible and scared Peter into helping her cover it up. She persuaded him by claiming the remaining family of the victims were in danger if he did not do as she told him.
Initially, Stella fed the cops a made-up story, but witness testimony got her arrested for the double murder. She’d supposedly tried to get others to help tie up the victims before they were killed. Peter, who wanted to be a cop, was arrested too but cut a deal by testifying against his mom. He ended up with a lighter sentence, which included two years of probation.
The fallout from the murders crushed any dream Peter had of becoming a police officer. He had imagined a life filled with family, a great career, and a wonderful retirement, all of which ceased to exist, basically destroyed in seconds, all because of Stella’s actions. Viewers could easily sense his deep regret as he reflected on how the entire tragedy transformed his life.
Stella received two life sentences for torturing and murdering two innocent individuals, although she only served just over 30 years after being granted parole in 2009. Now in her 90s, she’s still alive.
Tyler and Theresa’s Quest for Answers in the Wake of Family Tragedy
Theresa, who was only 12 when the murders took place, revealed on the Netflix show that she chose not to confront Stella, even after discovering the shocking truth about her past. In a later interview, she said it felt bittersweet when she learned that Stella was not her real mother. However, she could not process the idea that the woman who raised her was genuinely torturing people.
Tyler Henry, meanwhile, was relieved to learn that he did not have a murderous grandmother. Despite his ability to connect with others, Tyler struggled to process his mom’s past because of his own feelings. He mentioned that being so close to the situation made it harder for him to trust his intuitive insights.
The medium also felt like the roles were flipped as he became vulnerable while looking for answers for his mom. Finding closure is never easy, and Henry ultimately realized that it is more about growing and accepting things than reaching a clear finish line.
The experience got Tyler thinking about how trauma affects generations. He stressed the importance of asking tough questions about family history and pushing for an end to the silence around past experiences to promote healing and understanding.
For Theresa, the journey was all about redefining what family means to her. Even though finding out she wasn’t biologically related to her siblings was not easy, she focused on the strength of their emotional connections. When she met her biological relatives in Louisiana, she felt a mix of joy and loss. She clicked with them right away, but at the same time, she mourned the family life she could have had with them.
