Explore the fascinating world of stellar remnants disrupted by black holes in this 31-minute conference talk by Pavan Vynatheya from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. Recorded as part of the "Anticipating the Rising Tide of Tidal Disruption Events: Theory and Observation" conference at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, delve into the latest research on tidal disruption events (TDEs) and their impact on our understanding of galactic nuclei and central black holes. Gain insights into the theoretical uncertainties surrounding TDE modeling and learn how these events serve as a key to deciphering black hole demographics across cosmic time. Discover the connections between TDEs and related phenomena such as variable Active Galactic Nuclei and X-ray binaries, and explore the most pressing questions in TDE theory and observation.