Tyrus (wrestler)
George Murdoch (born February 21, 1973), known professionally by his stage/ring name Tyrus, is an American cable news personality, actor, and former professional wrestler. Born to an African American father and white mother in Boston, Massachusetts, his father left him when he was a small child; and his mother, whose racist family refused to accept him and his brother because they were part black, sent the boys to live with a foster family for a number of years. The brothers later moved back with their mother and abusive, womanizing stepfather, whom Tyrus swiftly defeated in a physical confrontation at age 15.
Tyrus attended high school in Los Angeles, California, in 1990 and started college in 1992. By 1995, he was attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney and had planned to study to become a teacher while playing football for the school's Lopers team, though his football ambitions ended when a surgical operation to remove a ruptured appendix left him with a permanent limp.
Tyrus has worked as a bodyguard for rapper Snoop Dogg.
He took interest in wrestling from childhood and began wrestling professionally for WWE in 2006, debuting under the name G-Rilla. He was released from his contract in 2008. Following a two-year hiatus, he re-signed with WWE and changed his ring name to Brodus Clay, parodying Snoop Dogg's birth name. In 2012, he adopted the heroic funk dancer persona dubbed The Funkasaurus. In 2014, he was again released from WWE.
Tyrus started wrestling under his current name from 2014, when he joined Total Nonstop Action Wreslting (TNA). In 2021, he began wrestling for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) but was forced to retire in 2023 when he lost the Worlds Heavyweight champion title.
Although he was raised in atheism, Tyrus, who was once uncertain about his political leanings, has come to identify as a "small-town conservative". Since 2016, he has been a Fox News Channel contributor and frequently recurring panelist on The Greg Gutfeld Show, or simply Gutfeld!, where the host affectionately calls him "my massive sidekick" due to his standing 6 feet, 7-8 inches and weighing about 350-375 pounds. He also enjoys defending fellow contributor Brian Kilmeade from being the frequent brunt of Gutfeld's jokes.
Tyrus currently resides in Louisiana with his wife, two daughters, and son. He keeps a collection of fish, amphibians, and reptiles due to a strong interest in their biology. He has authored two books: his memoir Just Tyrus; and 'Nuff Said, a collection of insights on news, politics, and current events.