A house-flipper-turned-entrepreneur, Chip Gaines has been on our radar since 2013 — when
he debuted his demolition talents on "Fixer Upper" Season 1.
Five kids and many renovations later, he and his wife Jo have become mega stars.
Here's why Chip is still turning heads.
When you think of Chip Gaines, you probably think of Texas.
He and his wife Jo have made their town of Waco, Texas a must-see tourist destination
for legions of devoted fans.
And naturally, many of us might assume that Chip was born and raised in the Lone Star
State.
But as it turns out, he's not a Texas native.
Chip was actually born in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
His family then moved to Dallas, Texas when Chip was a kid.
And it was there that the culture and soul of the South found its way into this future
star's history.
As Chip and Jo wrote in their book, "The Magnolia Story," Chip spent much of his time growing
up on his grandfather's ranch.
Located in North Texas, that land was a special place for Chip — and it was there that he
really developed that cowboy spirit.
While he did go on to get an education in business, Chip was initially described in
the book as the boy who, quote, "preferred digging ditches" to cracking open a textbook.
"I work harder, not smarter."
"That's true."
To put it bluntly, Chip was built for hard physical labor…and any demolition day on
"Fixer Upper" proves exactly that.
As the story goes, Chip knew he had met the love of his life just by looking at her picture.
It was 2001, and he had walked into the tire shop belonging to Jo's dad, and happened to
glance at a photo of Jo hanging on the wall.
According to Parade, Chip took one look at the pic and thought to himself, "[I] knew
I'd marry her one day."
As fate would have it, when Chip returned to the store, Jo just happened to be working.
She remembered,
"We met in the waiting area and hit it off immediately.
He was genuinely engaging and he had such a sincere smile."
"I know you're not gonna believe, but every time I see your husband I think, 'Man, I'm
cut outta the same exact cloth as that fella'."
But Chip almost blew it when it came to their first date.
In their book, the couple revealed that Chip was an hour and a half late, and Jo was just
about ready to write him off.
She said,
"He didn't even have a plan for our date.
He said, 'So, Joanna, where do you want to go eat?'
He didn't apologize for being late, either.
He had so much confidence.
I don't know.
I can't explain it."
"Do you have any idea where we're going?"
"No."
Whatever happened, it was clearly some kind of magic.
Chip didn't totally blow it after all with Jo — and the two went from dating to engaged
in 2002 when he popped the question.
According to Brides, Chip had the whole thing planned out, and even involved Jo's family
in the process.
As they recalled in their book, Chip told Jo that he had set up a private concert for
the couple to attend.
But, in a surprising twist, he proposed, and then took Jo to a jeweler so that they could
design the engagement ring of her dreams.
Once the ring was chosen, Chip and Jo went to dinner — with both sets of their parents,
Jo's sister, and Chip's sister all in attendance, waiting to celebrate the happy news.
And as no surprise to anyone, the pair got married in Waco, Texas the following year
at the historic Earle Harrison House.
They chose the location because it reminded Jo of the place she and Chip went for their
first date.
And after a bumpy start to dating life, the two set off on their next chapter together.
"Anybody that thinks that, y'know, that we got lucky, is really crazy."
So when we think about Chip and Jo these days, we think about their booming Magnolia empire.
The stores, the cafe, the books, and the fans.
But when this hopeful couple first got married, all they had to their name was the money in
Chip's bank account — well, actually, the money in his literal pocket.
As it turns out, Chip was a struggling entrepreneur just trying to make ends meet.
In an interview with People, Chip and Jo opened up about what those early days were like,
and what her parents thought of their future together.
Jo shared,
"I remember when we first got married, the only money we had was what was in Chip's pocket.
He always had a wad of cash, but we were broke.
If I needed to go grocery shopping it's whatever was in his pocket."
She explained that Chip's line of work — flipping houses — was not at all what her parents
had in mind as a lucrative career path.
And when it came to Jo's dad, she says,
"[He] spent the first two years of our marriage asking [Chip] if [he] was going to get a job."
If only he had known then what we all know now!
It was just a matter of time before that little flipping biz would eventually lead to HGTV
domination.
In between falling in love and trying to get his business off the ground, Chip also became
a father for the first time.
In 2004, he and Jo welcomed their first son, Drake — who was named after the Drake Hotel
in New York City where Chip and Jo went on their honeymoon.
Two years later, their daughter Ella was born — followed by their son, Duke.
Then, in 2010, they welcomed their youngest daughter, Emmie into the fold, and the four
kids made special appearances on "Fixer Upper" throughout the years.
But while the Gaines gang was happy and thriving, fans were shocked when Chip and Jo announced
that she was pregnant with their fifth child.
The pair welcomed their son Crew in 2018.
These days, the family seems as happy as ever.
Drake got his driver's license in 2021 — much to his mother's protective dismay.
According to People, Jo cried her eyes out when Drake first took the car out on his own.
Ella has appeared to have followed her mom and has expressed interest in art and design.
Emmie and Duke have adopted a bit of a green thumb from their parents.
And Crew is living his best life, bopping around the set of "Fixer Upper: Welcome Home"
and his mom's cooking show, "Magnolia Table."
"Who's your favorite; Mama or Gaga?"
"Gaga."
"Heyyy.
Let's try this again."
Chip certainly seems like a natural on TV, but when "Fixer Upper" made it to the air
in 2013, he was taken aback by just how successful the show — and he and Jo — became overnight.
Chip had started flipping houses when he was in college, and maintained the profession
throughout his early career.
But life as a celebrity was something that was totally new to him.
He explained to People,
"All of this sort of fell into our laps.
We were just living our life out here in little bitty Waco.
We had dreams and aspirations like most folks, but this has really been something else."
"To become famous, I lost a part of myself that was really — it was sad."
While flipping houses was the only career avenue that Chip was focused on, the popularity
of "Fixer Upper" took on a life of its own.
With that success, Chip and Jo ran with it and began releasing books, memoirs, and product
lines at Target.
They've continued expanding their own footprint in Waco, with seemingly limitless businesses
and real estate ventures.
When it came to one of the biggest flips of his career, Chip decided to get personal by
renovating his own home.
Throughout the many seasons of "Fixer Upper," viewers get a glimpse at the gorgeous farmhouse
property that Chip and Jo call home.
But the house didn't always look like the shiplap dream that it is today.
According to Country Living, Chip took on the project in 2012 when he and Jo bought
the house.
They were smitten with its charm, but they were set on transforming it into something
all their own.
Renovating the farmhouse took over a year and half.
And if you're caught up on "Fixer Upper: Welcome Home," you know that Jo recently renovated
even more of the house to reflect her ever-evolving style.
The home was built in 1895 and it sits on about 40 idyllic acres of land in Crawford,
Texas.
There are even animals on this farm — much to the delight of their kids as well as visitors.
And with such an inspiring space of their own, fans love it when the cameras go home
with the Gaines family, and we get a little peek inside the real lives of our favorite
celebrity renovators.
By now, we all know that "Fixer Upper" pretty much became a hit overnight — thanks to
Chip and Jo's feel-good TV personalities and talents.
But with their ever-increasing popularity came a rush of opportunities.
And Chip soon found himself taking on the role of a full-fledged businessman.
According to Country Living, Chip bolstered his presence in Waco, Texas, with the purchase
of the Silos — a lot situated around the old Brazos Valley Cotton Oil Company.
There, he and Jo began the process of building the Magnolia Market.
And with its expansion over time, came massive success.
"Y'all.
We're gonna have a hotel in downtown Waco, Texas."
"Whaaaat?"
What started out as a retail destination, quickly transformed into a bakery, a hangout
for food trucks, a concert venue, a garden shop, and a solid gold tourist attraction.
When the Silos had been open for just a year, Chip told the Dallas News that he hoped that
the space would continue to grow.
Once describing the feeling of walking into the undeveloped structures on the lot like,
quote, "being an ant inside a Coke can," Chip's greatest dream was that the brand would possibly
continue to expand.
If only he could have known what was coming his way.
Chip never shied away from showcasing some impressive feats of strength during his "Fixer
Upper" flips, but he amped up his game in 2018.
As Runner's World reported, Chip took part in the Silo District marathon, finishing in
five hours and 21 minutes.
He partnered with professional long distance runner Gabe Grunewald for the project.
But the collaboration went deeper than simply training with a pro.
Gabe was a 4-time cancer survivor, and all the proceeds raised supporting Chip in his
marathon efforts went to cancer research.
"I think it's pretty cool that you're taking on a challenge as big as a marathon.
And I want people to feel more hopeful."
On the actual day of the race, Chip was of course cheered on by Jo, as well as a number
of friends and family.
Jo even rode a golf cart next to him the entire time to keep tabs on her marathon man.
And to top off a wonderful cause, Chip was joined by several of his kids at different
stages of the race, crossing the finish line with his daughter Emmie.
Chip said,
"I can tell you this beyond a shadow of a doubt […] that thing is a doozy.
That's a difficult race to run, but hopefully, this is just the first of many."
Tragically, Gabe ultimately died in 2019 of complications from cancer, at the age of 32.
When Chip and Jo announced that they were stepping away from "Fixer Upper" at what seemed
like the height of their success, fans were stunned.
But in 2018, the couple revealed that they would be launching their own network, chock
full of original content.
And since its debut in 2021, the Magnolia Network has been nothing short of a wild success.
Turning Chip essentially into a program executive, the network boasts shows like "Fixer Upper:
Welcome Home," "Restoration Road with Clint Harp," and "Super Dad," to the delight of
its ever-growing fan base.
In fact, as Variety reported, just a preview of the Magnolia Network on the DIY channel
in August 2020 raked in an impressive 2.5 million viewers.
"It's…it…for the first time in my life, is a real challenge."
But that doesn't mean that it's been an easy ride to becoming an executive.
Chip revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he was nervous about taking on the role.
Apparently, he didn't want to face the fact that some shows on the network might not take
off.
Still, he admitted,
"Post-success, post-fame, however you want to articulate it, we haven't experienced much
failure."
And given that just about everything Chip and Jo touch basically turns to gold, we predict
that the Magnolia universe will only continue to grow.
"Don't ever quit.
No matter what, there's always a silver lining right around the corner."
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