They're the heirs to a multi-million dollar house-flippin' fortune. But are
they just pawns for their superstar mom and her celeb baby daddies? Here's the
real scoop on Christina Hall's kids. Back before they were household names,
Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall tied the knot and started a family together. The two
exchanged vows in 2009 and welcomed their daughter Taylor in 2010 through IVF. Five years later,
with a hit HGTV show in the works, their son Brayden was born, rounding out the family of four.
"My son is literally like the happiest kid on the
planet. He brings so much joy to our lives. And Taylor's just amazing."
Of course, we know now that the good times wouldn't last forever. As reported by Us Weekly,
things truly came to a head when the Orange County Sheriff's Department was called to
the El Moussa home in 2016. Officers responded to reports of a quote "possibly suicidal male
with a gun." And a witness claimed they saw Tarek walk out of the house into the hills,
with Christina crying and following behind him.
"I just want to be left alone. I can't come in
here — do my job — when you make me feel uncomfortable."
That was the final straw. According to CheatSheet,
Tarek and Christina settled on joint custody of Taylor and Brayden.
When the couple announced that their marriage was coming to a close,
they highlighted their shared dedication to their kids. As they said in a statement to Us Weekly,
"During this process, we are committed to our kids and being the best parents we
can be. We will continue to work through this process civilly and cooperatively,
and plan to continue our professional life together."
"It's when me and Christina first separated. And all of the sudden
I'm a dad on my own with a baby and a daughter. I'm like, 'What am I doing?'"
While fans were initially shocked that the exes would actually continue filming "Flip or Flop"
together, the former couple also appeared to address the catalyst for their split, adding,
"We had an unfortunate misunderstanding about six months ago and the police were called to
our house in an abundance of caution. There was no violence and no charges were filed."
Two years after announcing that they were going their separate ways,
Tarek and Christina finally addressed their divorce and how they would raise
8-year-old Taylor and 3-year-old Brayden. In an appearance on "Today," the formerly
married couple revealed that while they couldn't see eye to eye in their marriage,
they were committed to co-parenting their kids, and sticking with their show.
"We've been doing this for a really long time. It's part of who we are and what we do,
and for us to just throw everything away, it just wasn't worth it."
Explaining that their kids would always be priority number one, Christina added,
"We have two amazing kids together. It's just easier to work together and get along."
Tarek explained just how the couple was splitting up the family time, revealing that he would be
spending that Christmas with Taylor and Brayden, taking them to Vail, Colorado for a ski trip.
While Tarek skirted the dating scene following the separation, Christina appeared ready to get back
out there. And after crossing paths with Discovery star and dad of two, Ant Anstead, the two got
married in December 2018. While the blended family dynamic could have easily been stressed,
Tarek claimed he was comforted by Ant's positive influence. He shared with People magazine,
"I ask my kids about things they do, and what's going on,
and they always say good things about [Ant]. So as a father,
it's good to know that there's hopefully a good man in my kids' lives besides me."
Speaking on how his daughter Taylor was adjusting to the new circumstances, Tarek shared,
"She's smart. She knows what's going on. She knows how the world works. I think for her,
maybe it's a good thing too, to get some security in her life. I think stability is great."
"I have some really good news."
"What?"
Less than a year after getting married, Christina and Ant welcomed their son Hudson
in September 2019. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Christina shared,
"Our hearts are SO full of love and joy! Our healthy baby boy was born this morning."
In another post on Instagram, Christina talked about delivering Hudson via C-section,
explaining that after her previous emergency C-section with her son Brayden,
she was nervous to go through the process again. She said,
"The whole experience and recovery was really hard on me physically
and emotionally. […] Bray was 8lbs 13oz — after pushing for hours and
hours — he was just stuck and his heart rate was dropping. Based on ultrasound measurements,
we think this is going to be another big boy, so this is the direction we've decided to take."
While Christina and Tarek appeared to put their differences aside for the sake of their kids,
the ever-evolving dynamic hasn't always been easy. Tarek married "Selling Sunset" star Heather
Rae Young in October 2021, and things haven't always been peachy between Heather and Christina.
"There's gonna be little frustrations here and there. And
there's a lot going on in all of our worlds."
According to Entertainment Tonight, the ladies got into a spat while watching a kids' soccer
game. While it's unclear what they were arguing about, photos published by the Daily Mail revealed
a heated interaction. Amid the blow-up, the co-parents released a statement to ET, writing,
"A personal matter was discussed and has since been resolved. We are
focused on co-parenting as a team moving forward."
A source then alleged to ET,
"[They] haven't been getting along. Heather feels like Christina doesn't
treat her respectfully. Tarek wants to protect Heather from
all of it and thinks the way Christina has acted toward her is unacceptable."
"A lot of people go through divorces and, you know, I don't think any of them are easy."
After her sudden divorce from Ant in 2020, Christina soon moved on with her third husband,
Josh Hall. Of course, having three kids from two different dads is a complex situation,
but as it turns out, Josh quickly adapted to the role of loving and devoted stepfather. As noted
by Us Weekly in May 2022, the "bonus dad" happily stepped up to the plate,
joining the mom of three and the kids for adventures around town.
"Bray-bray. Let's eat your breakfast without a pool toy."
He was also there for Christina while she navigated a tricky co-parenting
situation with her ex, Ant. At the time, the parents had joint custody
of their little guy and things seemed to be moving forward smoothly. As an insider
alleged to Us Weekly of Christina and Ant's dynamic around their son,
"[Hudson is] still young, so they just want to make sure he has as normal of an upbringing as
possible. They put Hudson first and put any tension that's between them to the side."
For his part, Ant insisted in January 2022
that he was doing his best to stay positive, explaining to Us Weekly,
"I'm lucky that I get to be really, really hands-on with Hudson. There are so many
people that are worse off. So … If you make a decision that puts the children first,
it’s probably the right decision. I’m a firm believer in being responsible for my portion."
It soon became clear that the initial civil vibes between Ant and Christina in
the wake of their split weren't gonna last forever. As People reported in April 2022,
Ant had filed an emergency petition to the court in the hope of acquiring full
custody of Hudson. An Orange County judge denied the request, stating,
"[Ant] failed to prove there were critical circumstances concerning the child."
He was also said to have not given Christina proper notice of his legal intentions. The filing
claimed that Christina wasn't spending enough time with Hudson and that Ant was allegedly
serving as the "primary parent." He also claimed that the HGTV star had only seen Hudson for:
"[An] average of nine full days each month over
the last 20 months and an average of seven full days per month in 2022."
In his request, Ant hoped to attain "regular" custody of Hudson,
requiring Christina to stick to an "alternating weekend" sort of
agreement. To say that Christina wasn't a fan of the suggested arrangement… is an understatement.
As People reported, the HGTV star quickly filed a response to Ant's original request, claiming
she was "shocked" by the "false allegations" in the case. Christina stated in court docs,
"Mr. Anstead has now taken the position that he is the de facto primary parent of our son,
which is not accurate. Anstead does not count any day wherein we exchange
our son as a custodial day for me. He also counts days where I made an
accommodation or gave a right of first refusal to him as his day."
The "Flip or Flop" star said that Ant's claims surrounding her work
schedule were a quote "attempt to mislead the court," and argued that her flexibility
around custodial time was simply a result of considerate co-parenting.
She ultimately provided a full schedule of her time spent with Hudson in an attempt to
counter Ant's claims. The custody battle between the exes is ongoing as of 2022.
Even the most low-key fan of "Selling Sunset" knows just how much Heather Rae
El Moussa gushes about her husband, Tarek. And the star has also been candid about her
and her hubby's desire to have a baby of their own, sharing her IVF journey on social media.
"We're also still trying the natural way."
"The fun way." "And if we can't
get it done the fun natural way, then the embryos are the back up."
"Yeah."
Well, it seems the universe made the decision for them. Heather got pregnant naturally with
the couple's first bundle of joy, announcing the news on Instagram in July of 2022. She posted:
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think my heart would be so full from being a step mommy … and
now I get to be a mommy, myself. [...] One minute you go from wondering when 'the one'
will come into your life to meeting the love of your life, helping raise two incredible kids,
getting married, envisioning having a baby, to being [pregnant]."
As was to be expected, Heather has been more than generous with the social media posts
celebrating her growing baby bump. According to Entertainment Tonight,
the couple's future baby boy is due in 2023.
So with the blended family growing ever-bigger,
how does Christina feel about her ex's news? Well, it sounds like yet again,
she only wants what's best for the kids. However many of them there are! A source dished to
Entertainment Tonight that the HGTV star wishes all the best to Tarek and Heather, explaining,
"As long as Tarek and [Christina] are peacefully co-parenting, [Christina] is content."
"Tarek and I will be in each other's lives forever, no matter what, because we're parents."