Some people seem as though they are destined for stardom. They have the perfect mix of rare talent and winning personality — exactly the ingredients needed to draw people in and keep them captivated. Just ask HGTV, which struck gold when it discovered the Texas-based home-renovating couple Chip and Joanna Gaines.
The two made their TV debut in 2013 with Fixer Upper, showing off their knack for transforming seemingly uninhabitable spaces into dream homes. Chip and Joanna were an instant hit with fans, and before long, they became household names.
By its fifth season, Fixer Upper was pulling in a staggering 19.6 million viewers each week, making it one of the most-watched shows on HGTV. On the back of that runaway success, Chip and Joanna launched a retail marketplace, wrote a best-selling book, and created multiple lifestyle brands. And on July 15, 2021, they debuted their own network, Magnolia, in partnership with Discovery Inc. They've certainly built quite the thriving empire in just eight short years.
But their road to stardom — and multimillionaire status — has had some bumps. While fame certainly has its perks, being in the public eye has also subjected Chip and Joanna to increased scrutiny and opened them up to criticism, whether it's over their religious views or their parenting. They've also faced a few legal battles along the way. Even this lovable TV couple isn't immune to controversy. Let's take a closer look.
Their Questionable Church Affiliation
In a BuzzFeed article published in 2016, the Gaineses' church affiliation drew some serious criticism. Of course, it's no surprise that the couple is religious. Still, people have taken issue with the specific church they belong to — and its questionable beliefs about the LGBTQIA+ community.
"Their church, Antioch Community Church, is a nondenominational, evangelical, mission-based megachurch," the media site reported. "And their pastor, Jimmy Seibert, who described the Gaineses as 'dear friends' in a recent video, takes a hard line against same-sex marriage and promotes converting LGBT people into being straight."
Although the couple didn't actually come out and say publicly that they believe and support the church's stance on the issue, Chip later tweeted this: "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. DO EVERYTHING IN LOVE." And HGTV responded by saying that LGBTQ couples were "welcome" on the show, but none have ever been featured.
Teaming Up With Target
Since Joanna and Chip have religious ties, when they announced in 2017 that they had entered a partnership with Target, their fan base wasn't very happy. Sure, some shoppers were thrilled with the opportunity to bring some of their stylish decor pieces into their own homes, but many others were upset with the fact that they chose to team up with Target.
Their collection for Target, called Hearth & Hand With Magnolia, ruffled some feathers. Many conservative-leaning fans took to social media to voice their concern over the Gaineses doing business with Target, a retailer whose policy is to allow transgender customers and employees to use fitting rooms and restrooms that best align with their gender identity.
'Fixer Upper' Homes Become Vacation Rentals
According to Waco Tribune-Herald, because the couple's Fixer Upper show only focused on properties in Waco, Texas, people who were lucky enough to have the couple work on their home wanted to cash in. The paper reported that owners of "nearly half a dozen" houses that were renovated by the Gaineses had been "listed on online property rental services VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) and Airbnb" — much to Chip and Joanna's dismay. And these owners were getting a lot of interest thanks to their homes' ties to the reality TV stars.
After all of that was brought to light, the couple made a big change, switching up how they selected show applicants for a home transformation. "We are going to be more strict with our contracts involving Fixer Upper clients moving forward," Brock Murphy, a spokesperson for Magnolia, said in a statement.
"We want to honor our national viewing audience. We want to do remodels for clients' homes. That's the true intent of our show, and we want to ensure that does not get lost in this new vacation rental trend."
Chip's Former Business Partners Sued Him
In addition to their TV work, Chip also owns Magnolia Realty. He started the venture together with two friends, Richard Clark and John Lewis, but things went sour around the same time that Chip became well-known on TV. The two partners stated that they were persuaded to sell their shares in the company when Chip and Joanna signed their HGTV contract.
And they didn't get a whole lot of money back from selling their shares. Adding to the ick factor, the business partners evidently had no idea Chip had a big HGTV contract lined up. So Clark and Lewis filed a lawsuit against Chip in 2017, alleging fraud and demanding $1 million in damages.
"In summary, at a time when only the defendants knew that Fixer Upper had been fast-tracked for a one-hour premiere on HGTV and was on the verge of radically changing their lives and business enterprises, Chip Gaines conspired to eliminate his business partners — notwithstanding their longstanding friendship — to ensure that he alone would profit from Magnolia Realty's association with Fixer Upper," attorney David Tekell wrote in a suit filed on behalf of Clark and Lewis.
Chip appeared to address the situation on social media in April 2017 in the form of a thinly veiled and passive-aggressive tweet, writing, "Fyi: I've had the same cell # 15 yrs … same email for 20 yrs. No one called or emailed? 4 years later, 'friends' reach out via lawsuit. Humm." Clearly, he was painting his former partners as nothing but opportunists.
Homeowner Backlash
In 2017, owners of a Waco home that Joanna and Chip worked on during season three of Fixer Upper claimed they felt "deceived" by the show after an incident when a man suspected of drunk driving smashed through the front wall of their house. The owners said they felt duped by the Gainseses and the show for offering them the property in the first place. Evidently, after they moved in, they found their new neighborhood unwelcoming, unsafe, and noisy.
"It's like the Wild West here," the couple explained, according to Waco Tribune-Herald. "There's been a lot of commotion coming from the bars and the store across the street. It's been a problem from the beginning. We've lived here for a year and a half, and we feel deceived by the city of Waco and Magnolia Realty."
Parking Problems
According to Waco Tribune-Herald, in 2017 a neighbor of Chip and Joanna's Magnolia Market complex in Waco was set to charge people who came to shop $10 to park in his lot, which was right next door. In response to this, Chip put up a gate to signal to customers that they could not park there.
According to a lawsuit filed, the owner of the neighboring property claimed the gate prevented foot and vehicle traffic to his business. As a result, he sued Chip and Joanna for $1 million. The Gaineses eventually bought out the property instead of moving forward with the lawsuit.
EPA Lead Paint Violations
In 2018, Chip and Joanna's company was hit with a fine for violating the lead paint guidelines set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency. According to Vox, "older homes in several seasons of the show 'did not depict the lead-safe work practices' and violated rules on toxic substances and lead paint."
According to the EPA, the couple's company violated the Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule (RRP Rule) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in 33 homes that they renovated in Waco. In addition, the details suggest that the crew hired to work on the removal of lead paint did not do so with proper safety in mind.
The show's production company had to pay a civil penalty of $40,000 and spend $160,000 to clean up lead contamination in the Waco community. It was also ruled that the show hosts would need to talk about lead paint safety on their show and social media.
Since then, Chip has shared a few safety warnings on Twitter, including a tweet in 2018 which said: "During last night's episode, some people had questions about renovating houses with possible lead-based paint." He followed up the message with a link to find certified renovators.
The Gaineses Were Called Out Over Their Parenting
Chip and Joanna have a lot going on with their busy careers, and they're also parents to five kids. When the couple had only four kids, writer Daryl Austin wrote a column for USA Today parent-shaming the couple, claiming they put their businesses ahead of their children. Chip did not appreciate the criticism, so he fired back.
"I don't know Daryl, & he clearly doesn't know me," Chip tweeted in 2018. "But for the record: If there is ever a need with my family (1st), I'll shut this circus down so fast it will make your head spin."
It's unclear if Austin was pressured to walk back his statements or if he really regretted what he said, but he later wrote an apology to the Gaineses, expressing his regret for writing what he did about the couple and how they parent their children.
