HGTV delivers a steady stream of jaw-dropping renovations and lust-worthy real estate.
But while the hosts of these shows have become millionaires and household names,
their success certainly doesn't come without some drama. From bad business practices to
shockingly off-brand money moves, here's how much these controversial network stars are worth.
"Are you ready to see our new fixer upper? [Cheers]
The grand opening has officially commenced."
Chip and Joanna Gaines are popular, successful and really, really rich. So how did they
earn their estimated $10 million? Well, it didn't hurt that their series, Fixer Upper,
was the smashiest hit on the network, according to Country Living. The outlet also noted,
"Even Blake Lively calls Fixer Upper her perfect Thursday night."
Even Blake Lively, people! But their brand isn't just about their show. Business Insider reported,
"[Chip and Joanna] have their hands in several businesses — like [the] magazine Magnolia Journal,
home-decor lines under the Magnolia Home umbrella, clothing lines, Target collaborations, storefronts
and restaurants at The Silos, the Magnolia Table cookbook, Magnolia Realty, and so much more."
But while it's clear that the Gaines pair have enjoyed plenty of success, they've also gotten
into their share of hot water. According to Good Housekeeping, their seemingly highly curated
family-focused image was tainted once Chip was sued for fraud, and the couple faced backlash…
"When their church's pastor preached against same-sex marriage."
And that wasn't all. These two have been involved in so many sketchy situations,
that Cosmo named them repeatedly on their list of the, quote,
"biggest HGTV scandals of all time." Perhaps this is one duo who should spend a little less time
fixing up houses and a little more time fixing up their reputations.
"Hi my name is Tarek El Moussa, and I'm Christina El Moussa."
"We bought a dump in Santa Ana for $115,000 and we're hoping to at least make a couple dollars."
Tarek El Moussa and Christina Anstead became popular with fans as
an aspirational house-flipping couple. But the Flip or Flop hosts caused quite a buzz
in 2016 when they dramatically parted ways. According to TMZ,
police were called to their home when Tarek was reportedly behaving erratically with a gun.
Following the stars' split, they found themselves sparking cringe-worthy news when fans were sure
that El Moussa's new flame, Heather Rae Young, was attempting to look like his ex-wife,
Christina. For her part, Young isn't giving in to the drama, telling People,
"Last time I checked I've looked like this my whole life."
While these are the types of scandals that could potentially harm a star's earning potential,
that doesn't seem to be the case, here. El Moussa is worth about $10 million,
while Anstead has banked roughly $12 million, herself.
Jonathan Scott is worth a whopping $100 million — and, for the record,
so is brother, Drew. And that kind of cash proves that the twins' money-making
potential goes far beyond what you ever see onscreen. E! News explained,
"With the help of their multiple television projects and their production company,
Scott Brothers Entertainment, as well as their Scott Living housewares brand,
the HGTV stars have created an immensely successful business empire."
"This is gonna be good."
Entrepreneur reported that in 2018, they made an estimated half-billion dollars off of sales alone.
But while the brothers both have that boy-next-door appeal, Jonathan's bad-boy
side came out in 2016 when he faced potential charges related to what USA Today called a, quote,
"bar scuffle." The outlet reported that Scott and other patrons became upset when the bar took their
drinks at closing time, and, after they were kicked out, they returned for a bit of a brawl.
TMZ even published photos of Scott being detained by a bouncer, by the neck.
Luckily for the star, due to lack of sufficient evidence,
prosecutors decided not to press charges — and Scott was free to go back to making his millions.
"I never realized that Trading Spaces would give
me the opportunity to do so many different things."
Carter Oosterhouse has helmed several HGTV hits that have helped him earn an estimated $8 million
fortune. But when his name ended up in the news in 2017, it wasn't to promote a new show.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Carter's former makeup artist, Kailey Kaminsky,
accused him of forcing her to perform intimate acts that the outlet reports…
"Eventually led to her becoming hospitalized for depression and losing her job."
Oosterhouse responded to the accusations by admitting that he had shared a quote,
"intimate relationship" with Kaminsky, but insisted that what happened was also, quote,
"100 percent mutual." The star's wife, actor Amy Smart, stood by her husband, telling Us Weekly,
"People can say a lot. And […] I just think there was a lot of not-truth that was put out there."
Oosterhouse, who has appeared on TLC's Trading Spaces, was also supported by Nancy Daniels,
president and general manager for the network,
who told reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour,
"At the end of the day, we feel very comfortable continuing with Carter in the show."
Interior designer Genevieve Gorder made her estimated $5 million fortune, in part, due to a
pair of her own HGTV shows — Dear Genevieve, which ran for six seasons, and Genevieve's Renovation.
"Every day of my life since the show, I get stopped because of the show."
But as longtime fans know, Gorder got her start in the industry by making a
name for herself on TLC's Trading Spaces — where she was responsible
for one of the show's most epic disasters. As People recapped it,
"Homeowner Nancy, who opened her eyes to an Asian-inspired space in a particularly
cringe-worthy reveal during the show's original run […] [looked]
stunned. […] When [Paige Davis] presses her to answer whether or not she likes
the pillows — or even 'the idea of them' — Nancy replies, 'Not really.'"
You have to wonder if that kind of thing played into the fact that, later, Gorder
was the only designer who wasn't on board for the Trading Spaces reboot in 2019. She admitted,
"It was not my decision at all."
"Does he annoy the hell out of me? Yes. It's like being in a dog fight.
Does he irritate me? Yes. But I think we're a great team."
HGTV fans will recognize real estate agent David Visentin from the smash hit, Love It or List It,
a show that's so popular, it sparked several other iterations in the franchise,
according to The Star. Even Hillary Clinton
told The New York Times in 2012 that it was her favorite show to watch, saying,
"I find [Love It or List It] very calming."
Clinton may be able to thank the show for helping her chill out, but Visentin can thank it
for contributing to his estimated $6 million net worth. Even so, he's another network personality
whose show upset some less than happy homeowners. Cosmo reported of one particular instance,
"A North Carolina couple filed a lawsuit in April against the production company behind
Love it or List It, claiming their home was left 'irreparably damaged' after the show filmed."
The Miami Herald broke down the situation, noting that owners Deena Murphy and Timothy Sullivan…
"Contend that not only were they victims of shoddy work,
they also suffered from a breach of contract, unfair trade practices in violation of North
Carolina's general contractor laws, and a 'bizarre' business model."
Cosmo reported that the production essentially destroyed the couple's home,
having left the pair with cheap carpeting and windows that were ultimately painted shut.
After a four-year court battle, the parties involved settled in 2019 to undisclosed terms.
Nicole Curtis, who HGTV viewers know as the host of Rehab Addict, may have $7 million in the bank,
but it was her lack of funds that first put her on the path to success. She told Arizona Central,
"I got interested in rehabbing because I was poor. Nothing motivates you to learn
how to do something like not having the money to pay to have it done."
"I'm like sixty days from being bankrupt."
While Curtis obviously knows how to turn DIY necessity into TV profitability,
she has also learned that with fame, there is often drama close behind. For instance,
she faced more than a little headache when Good Housekeeping reported,
"The city of Minneapolis sued [Curtis' company] for breach of contract,
alleging that the Rehab Addict star failed to make
improvements on a property she bought by the November 2014 deadline the city set."
Curtis also faced public custody battles with her exes,
as well as her own mother. The outlet reported,
"Curtis' mother filed a protective order against her […] claiming she was
being harassed with threatening calls and texts."
But by April 2017, Curtis was opening up about the estranged
nature of her relationship with both of her parents, admitting to Country Living,
"Our situation is absolutely horrifying and heartbreaking. I can't say anymore to that."
Love It or List It Vancouver host, Jillian Harris, once wrote on her website,
"Some might think I have it ALL going on in
the financial department but that's not necessarily true."
Harris — who reality TV fans may recognize from both Season 13 of The Bachelor and
Season 5 of The Bachelorette — also explained that after having, quote,
"royally [messed] up along the way," she learned from her mistakes and finally took
control of her finances. That may be why she is now worth an estimated $3 million.
"OK, that is a million-dollar view."
But while Harris has gotten savvier when it comes to her cash, she apparently hasn't learned how
to avoid sparking backlash — at least when it comes to her online presence. In 2016,
the HGTV star reported that she had taken some heat from readers of her blog,
in regards to her new mostly-vegan diet plan.
She also faced unhappy comments on her post, 5 Steps to Becoming a Boss
Mom — which featured shopping suggestions for Nike gear — because, according to Jezebel,
a reader was upset about the fact that the post was sponsored. Reportedly, the reader wrote,
"I'm confused. You just did a post about hating the mom bod,
now you are embracing it? I guess your thoughts change depending on
who is paying you to post. […] The sponsored content is out of control."
Just goes to prove that no matter how you earn your money, you can't please everyone.
As the host of HGTV's Property Virgins and Flipping Virgins,
Egypt Sherrod truly has it all. As Essence described her,
"[She's] a savvy real estate broker, an entrepreneur, an author, a philanthropist,
and a motivational speaker [and] one of the hardest-working women on television."
"If our branches are to reach heaven, then surely our roots are gonna have to grow through hell."
Sherrod certainly didn't find success overnight. Instead, it was after decades of hustle that she
finally saw the results of her hard work — and her estimated $6 million fortune. But while her
status is enviable, her public image suffered a blow after she revealed during an appearance on
Sister Circle in 2019 that she had been assaulted when she was 15. Having become pregnant from the
incident, Sherrod had an abortion. Giving credit to Planned Parenthood, she said,
"I did not want to be 15 years old having a baby."
The fallout came when those who disagreed with her personal choices began tweeting brutally hateful
messages at the star. Still, despite the backlash on social media, it is likely her warrior spirit
in these types of situations that has made her the strong, successful woman that she is today.
"When people call me a star, I think it's weird. I go, no, I'm just a person with a cool job."
On HGTV's glittery hit My Lottery Dream Home, host David Bromstad guides newly-minted winners
on their journey to find their ultimate digs. And one of the things that might help him relate
to his wealthy clients might be the fact that he's rich too — with a modest yet impressive
$2 million net worth. But while the first winner of HGTV Design Star has gone on to find massive
success on the network, he's also landed himself in trouble by connecting with the Salvation Army,
an organization with what HuffPost called a, quote, "established anti-gay history."
Bromstad, who is openly gay, addressed the backlash in a post on Facebook, writing,
"If we simply separate ourselves from those that we assume [oppose] us or our beliefs
then we will never make strides in the right direction. I applaud the Salvation Army's
symbolic handshake towards acceptance and would be foolish to not extend my hand in acceptance."
Some fans were impressed by the gesture, and offered messages of support, with comments like…
"A little goodwill goes a long way. If we never extend the olive branch,
then things will never change. Good on you, David!"
But others weren't feeling the good vibes. One user wrote,
"Just covering your own a-- after not doing your homework before signing on
to work with them. David would rather self-promote than do the right thing."
Perhaps the next time Bromstad chooses to support a charity,
he'll pick a less problematic organization. Then again,
maybe his actions will ultimately become the change we all want to see in the world.
"This is me. You like it, you like it."
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