Even amid enormous success, these "Fixer Upper" stars have had some rocky moments. On the
surface, their lives look picture perfect, but behind the scenes, it's a different story.
Let's break down the biggest controversies of Chip and Joanna Gaines' career so far.
Prior to the success of "Fixer Upper," the small Texas town of Waco was mostly known
for the fatal 51-day standoff in 1993 between the religious sect known as the Branch Davidians
and law enforcement, which ended with 76 members of the cult dead. Chip and Joanna Gaines'
"Fixer Upper" helped breathe new life into Waco's struggling economy, with tourism and
business developments booming following the show's premiere. In fact, according to the
Waco Tribune-Herald, the so-called "Magnolia effect," the term used to describe the ever-sprawling
brand's influence on its surroundings, became such a draw that Waco tourism skyrocketed.
Along with the town's success, however, came an increase in real estate taxes and housing
prices, which left many local residents struggling to buy and keep homes in the once affordable
market. According to a 2020 article by the New York Post, home prices and property taxes
in Waco rose at a faster rate than the rest of the country between 2017 and 2019. On top
of that, one area realtor revealed that approximately 25 percent of new home buyers purchasing in
Waco are from out of state, making it difficult for locals to compete with the rising market.
"You know, as long as it can work in Waco, in our backyard, it works for us."
As "Fixer Upper" continued to climb in the ratings, many fans began flocking to Waco,
Texas to get a taste of the small town charm. Chip and Joanna Gaines began growing their
Magnolia Market, which includes a store featuring products made and curated by the couple, as
well as a large outdoor space at the foot of the famous Magnolia Silos where visitors
can enjoy food by local vendors. Once again, residents were split on their appreciation
for the attention the Gaines brought to their small town.
In 2016, neighboring Magnolia Market property owner Daron Farmer sued the Gaines for a figure
between $200,000 and $1 million dollars. Farmer alleged that amid negotiations with the Gaines
on the purchase of Farmer's property, which was located next to Magnolia Market, the Gaines
built a gate that partially blocked access to it, making it impossible for Farmer to
use the entirety of his empty lot to make money as a parking lot. The case was dismissed
one year later after the Gaines reportedly agreed to buy Farmer's property for just under
$1 million.
In 2021, Chip Gaines' sister, Shannon Braun, clinched a seat as a trustee on the school
board in Grapevine-Colleyville, Texas. According to The Dallas Morning News, Braun, who is
against teaching Critical Race Theory, received a $1,000 donation from Chip and Joanna Gaines.
In a Facebook post on May 26, 2021, Braun wrote,
"I'm committed to working alongside our parents and teachers to ensure [...] students get
the education they deserve by returning the focus of our curriculum and teaching to academics,
rather than filling curriculum with divisive Critical Race Theory training."
The Gaines' support for Braun confused fans because it ran counter to previous public
messages by the couple, including Joanna's candid admission of the difficulty she faced
growing up mixed race in the South in her book, "Who You Were Made To Be."
In November 2016, BuzzFeed released a damning profile on Jimmy Seibert, the pastor of the
evangelical Antioch Community Church in Texas, which counts the Gaines as members. Seibert,
who interviewed the couple on the church's YouTube channel, has taken a firm stance against
gay marriage. Chip appeared to address the allegations later that year in a since-deleted
blog on the pair's personal website. He wrote,
"Joanna and I have personal convictions [...] We care about you for the simple fact that you
are a person, our neighbor on planet earth. It's not about what color your skin is, how
much money you have in the bank, your political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender, nationality
or faith."
In a 2021 profile by The Hollywood Reporter, Joanna became emotional when confronted with
the couple's past controversies. Although she didn't address anything specifically,
she said,
"The accusations that get thrown at you, like you're a racist or you don't like people in
the LGBTQ community, that's the stuff that really eats my lunch — because it's so far
from who we really are."
In 2017, Chip and Joanna Gaines announced a massive partnership deal with Target, which
would include selling their exclusive Hearth & Hand line at affordable prices in the national
chain.
"When you see your line at Target, what do you think your reaction's going to be?" "Oh
gosh, don't ask me, SCREAMS."
While many fans were excited to be able to bring some shiplap magic into their own home,
others were vocal on social media about their disappointment in the Gaines partnering with
Target, a company that has been vocal in its support for LGBTQA+ employees and customers.
This support incited a backlash from religious conservatives, who perhaps interpreted the
Gaines' church affiliation with less tolerant views.
The Gaines have denounced anti-LGBTQA+ views in general, but still have not directly addressed
comments made by their church's pastor or the inclusivity policies of Target. As of
this video, the Gaines continue to sell their home goods through the retailer.
Many viewers flock to HGTV shows to get tips on how to perform their own home renovations,
which is why the Environmental Protection Agency was quick to act when they discovered
that Chip and Joanna Gaines were not safely removing lead paint during episodes of "Fixer
Upper." In a 2018 statement on its website, the EPA alleged,
"Video footage of Magnolia's renovations of older homes appearing in several seasons of
'Fixer Upper' reviewed by EPA did not depict the lead-safe work practices normally required
by the [Renovation, Remodeling and Painting Rule]."
In the same statement, the EPA acknowledged that Magnolia quickly rectified the issue,
and paid a $40,000 fine set by the agency. The couple also spoke about the dangers of
lead-based paint during a March 2018 episode of "Fixer Upper" and outlined steps that homeowners
and professionals must take in order to ensure safe removal of the toxin. An additional video
on the dangers on lead-based paint was also shared on Chip's Twitter page.
"Unfortunately, this old house tested positive for lead, so today we've all gotta wear these
groovy white suits."
Magnolia Homes even went above and beyond the steps outlined by the EPA. The company
donated $160,000 to the supplemental environmental project in Waco, Texas, which helped to ensure
that homes, especially those built before 1978 and currently occupied by children, have
lead-based paints removed safely by a third-party "abatement" team.
We often find ourselves watching "Fixer Upper" and thinking two things. The first is that
we would love our home to have the same welcoming aesthetic of all of the Magnolia Homes builds.
The second is whether Joanna Gaines has considered launching a skincare line, because anyone
who looks that effortlessly stunning while raising five kids, building an empire, and
working in a construction zone has to have some great beauty secrets. Unfortunately,
a scammer also took notice of Gaines' lack of wrinkles and capitalized on the opportunity
by using the Magnolia founder's name.
In 2017, Gaines was forced to take a break from sharing her latest designs and sweet
family pics on Instagram to warn her fans about the scam. She wrote,
"There have been rumors floating around about me leaving the show to start a skincare/makeup
line. I wanted to take a minute to let y'all know that it's simply not true. This is a
SCAM! We have nothing to do with it and have been trying to stop it for some time."
For the record, if Joanna Gaines does decide to launch an official beauty line, we'll take
two of everything.
Linda Evangelista once said she wouldn't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day and
even with inflation, it appears the supermodel may have been undervaluing herself. In a 2018
legal case between Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Furniture and one of their suppliers,
Joanna listed her deposition fee at $150,000 per hour. That's a lot of shiplap.
The massive fee was uncovered by Blast, which also noted that Gaines was neither a defendant
nor a plaintiff in the case, making her massive fee even more shocking. Joanna was asked to
be part of the deposition since she was the one who discovered that the materials supplied
for the furniture that was to be sold under the Magnolia Furniture name were not of the
quality previously agreed upon. Gaines' high hourly fee appeared to be an effort on the
Magnolia founder's part to be left out of the deposition. According to Blast, she had
previously stated she would prefer to be part of the deposition only through written comments.
Unfortunately for Joanna, a judge later ruled that not only did she have to sit for the
deposition in person, she would also not receive her requested hourly rate. Maybe she should
have started at $10,000 per day?
Chip and Joanna Gaines were working on selling and renovating homes in the Waco area before
HGTV cameras began rolling, but their level of success was significantly lower prior to
their major TV deal. Before becoming household names, Chip was working with partners John
L. Lewis and Richard L. Clark in the Magnolia Real Estate Company, which employed one agent.
According to a 2017 lawsuit filed by Chip's former partners, per People, the reality star
bought out their shares of the company without disclosing that the show he and wife Joanna
had been filming had been bought by HGTV. Chip's former partners filed a $1 million
lawsuit against him, alleging that he bought their shares in the company for $5,000 without
revealing that "Fixer Upper" had been greenlit by HGTV. Both Lewis and Clark told the media
that after selling their shares to Chip, they didn't hear from their former partner again.
Chip seemingly addressed the lawsuit and his former partner's claims in a tweet in April
2017, writing
"Fyi: I've had the same cell [number] 15 yrs [...] same email for 20 yrs. No one called
or emailed? 4 years later friends reach out via lawsuit."
Chip's lawyers argued that his former business partners were aware of the couple's deal with
HGTV before selling their shares of Magnolia Realty. The records of the case have been
sealed from public viewing, but we do know that in 2020, a Texas District Court judge
dismissed Lewis and Clark's lawsuit.
In his 2017 bestselling memoir "Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff,"
Chip writes that a tweet from a customer alerting the Magnolia owner to a late shipment made
him rethink whether the couple was able to handle all the projects they currently had
in the works. Gaines explained,
"I tried to shake it off, knowing that I couldn't do anything about it then and that it would
have to wait until morning [...] No luck. I was up all night dwelling on it."
Gaines was even prepared to walk off the set of "Fixer Upper" the following day so that
he could go to the Magnolia warehouse and fix the issue himself. He said that the tweet
sparked a conversation between him and Joanna, with the pair soon realizing they had taken
on too many jobs. He wrote,
"Suddenly filming the TV show looked like 'the job' that had seduced me into giving
it my precious time that I had always promised would be reserved for my true loves, my family
and my business. How had this side gig found its way to competing with the very things
that mean more to me than anything else in the world?"
In 2017, Chip and Joanna announced they would be ending their hit HGTV series after five
seasons, in order to be able to give their family and their Magnolia furniture and design
business the proper attention. Then parents to four kids, now five, and filming 11 months
of the year, it's understandable that the Gaines needed a break. But it was also rumored
that the couple may have been upset by restrictions placed on them by HGTV. We now know that the
Gaines have continued to build their TV empire through their own Magnolia Network on Discovery,
and they've hopefully resolved any customer complaints they'd been facing during their
busiest time.
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