As half of the facility duo behind “Fixer Higher,” Chip Gaines has constructed a small empire alongside spouse Joanna Gaines. Their time within the highlight since the previous HGTV hit present premiered in 2013 has made him a family title. Their success has allowed Chip and Joanna to reside a lavish life and to offer their kids the identical. However fame additionally means he has had his life dissected by the general public, for higher or worse. The curiosity has given method to rumors which have painted him in a reasonably unhealthy mild at occasions.

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Whereas among the hypothesis does not inform the entire reality, they weren’t pulled out of skinny air both. For essentially the most half, the rumors take the shady facet of Chip and run with it. From former pals accusing him of betrayal to on-line hypothesis that he had a spouse earlier than Joanna, Chip is aware of a factor or two about public scrutiny gone too far. Chip has additionally had his character and morals questioned over matters he selected to stay quiet about, together with issues over the place he stands on race and LGBTQ points.

A few of the hypothesis has hit him tougher than others, however he largely chooses to carry his peace. Chip in all probability is aware of it comes with the territory. In spite of everything, he and Joanna have been blamed for a number of issues which have plagued their hometown of Waco, Texas, just because they exist. With the extent of consideration he has acquired, turning into the topic of rumors is simply a part of life. 

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The inexperienced flags in Chip Gaines’ relationship with Joanna might make him relationship targets. Companion targets, although? That is a unique story. In 2017, Chip was sued by John L. Lewis and Richard L. Clark, co-founders of Magnolia Realty, for $1 million, in response to Us Weekly. His former companions contended he defrauded them when he purchased them out for $2,500 every two days earlier than the “Fixer Higher” premiere, with out informing them that he had struck a cope with HGTV. “[He] compelled the sale of the enterprise for a fraction of its true worth by hiding the truth that ‘Magnolia’ was quickly to obtain nationwide promoting and branding,” they argued.

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Additionally they accused Chip of utilizing threats to get them to acquiesce to the sale, together with by way of textual content message. “You higher inform Rick to watch out,” Chip allegedly texted Lewis (by way of E! Information). “I do not come from the nerdy prep college he is from. And when individuals speak to me that manner they get their asses kicked. And if he is not prepared to do this he higher shut his mouth. I am not the hardest man there may be, however I can guarantee you that may not finish properly for [R]ick.”

Chip denied the allegations and known as out Lewis and Clark on X. “Fyi: Ive had the identical cell # 15 yrs.. similar e-mail for 20 yrs. Nobody known as or emailed? 4 years later ‘pals’ attain out by way of lawsuit.. humm,” he tweeted. The go well with was dismissed in 2020.

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Chip Gaines prefers to maintain his private ideologies out of the highlight. “We wish individuals to not consider us as proper wing or left wing or moderates or variations of these ideas in between, and simply have a look at us as human beings,” he advised Selection in 2022. However for a lot of, that is a smokescreen to distract from his anti-LGBTQ stance. He and Joanna Gaines confronted criticism when a 2016 BuzzFeed report linked them to Antioch Neighborhood Church, an evangelical megachurch that holds a robust view in opposition to homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

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Antioch’s pastor and a great pal of the Gaineses, Jimmy Seibert, additionally promotes conversion remedy. The report additionally famous that the Gaineses had by no means featured an LGBTQ couple on “Fixer Higher” like different HGTV exhibits. Whereas the community responded to BuzzFeed’s request for remark, Chip and Joanna didn’t. “We do not discriminate in opposition to members of the LGBT group in any of our exhibits,” HGTV stated. “HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, constant document of together with individuals from all walks of life in its collection.”

In his interview with Selection, Chip famous his dissatisfaction with individuals’s expectation that he take sides on political issues. “For those who actually slender it all the way down to the political thought, how will we try this in a brave manner that brings us all collectively versus our present mannequin, which is, how do you do it on this isolating mannequin that forces us all to mainly take sides,” he stated. 

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Along with the backlash over his hyperlink to the anti-LGBTQ motion, Chip Gaines has additionally been accused of supporting racist efforts. The accusation dates again to 2021, when he and Joanna Gaines made a $1,000 donation to the marketing campaign of his sister, Shannon Braun, when she ran for the varsity board of a Texas college. The issue? She was recognized for her opposition to crucial race concept, a tutorial subject that acknowledges structural racism as a cornerstone of American society.

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“Shannon will push again in opposition to the racial socialist agenda and their indoctrination of scholars — taking a stance in opposition to crucial race concept,” the then-chairman of the Republican Get together of Texas, Allen West, wrote in his endorsement of Braun. Nonetheless, the Gaineses later argued that their donation got here earlier than Braun made crucial race concept a part of her platform. And for the primary time, one in all them addressed the bigotry accusations they’d confronted.

“Typically I am like, ‘Can I simply make a press release?'” Joanna advised The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. “The accusations that get thrown at you, such as you’re a racist or you do not like individuals within the LGBTQ group, that is the stuff that actually eats my lunch — as a result of it is so removed from who we actually are. That is the stuff that retains me up.” Of their protection, Chip and Joanna, who share 5 children, have change into extra open concerning the challenges they face as a mixed-race household, with all seven showing on Emmanuel Acho’s “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man” in 2020 (seen above). 

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In June 2018, Chip and Joanna Gaines settled with the Environmental Safety Company for violating lead paint rules throughout residence renovations featured on their present. They have been ordered to pay $40,000 in fines and make investments $160,000 in efforts to lower the potential dangerous results of lead-based paint amongst high-risk residents in Waco, Texas, the place their residence renovation firm, Magnolia Properties, is headquartered. 

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The EPA highlighted that Chip and Joanna’s firm was fast to reply to its issues and take motion. “Magnolia took instant steps to acquire EPA certification and convey its actions into compliance with TSCA shortly after it was first contacted by EPA in 2015,” the EPA press launch acknowledged. Nonetheless, some Wacoans who declare to have handled Chip and Joanna earlier than fame have contended they knowingly bypassed lead paint and different security rules to keep away from further prices.

One Reddit consumer claimed to have recognized a pair who virtually bought a home that went on to be featured on “Fixer Higher,” however backed out as a result of structural points — one thing Chip tried to minimize. “It had substandard wiring that would not cross their FHA mortgage inspection, and Chip was like oh it is okay we’ll simply use our inspector,” the netizen wrote. The consumer additionally claimed the household who ended up shopping for the property moved out due to the issues. “The children examined off the charts excessive for lead and the lead abatement price $$$$ and took endlessly,” they continued. 

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Some social media customers have speculated that Chip Gaines had a spouse earlier than Joanna Gaines. That is not true, however the rumors aren’t fully baseless. He did suggest to an ex-girlfriend of two years. In a 2017 essay in Magnolia Journal (by way of Folks), Chip delved into how his pissed off makes an attempt to marry Amy (a pseudonym) led to life classes. For starters, he discovered to simply accept a “no,” although he accepted it solely after Amy’s father gave him a speaking to. And Amy’s refusal additionally gave him expertise for when Joanna got here into his life.

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Let’s begin from the start. When Amy started to marvel the place their relationship was going, Chip broke her coronary heart. It took her distancing herself for him to see that he truly cherished her. Not solely that — he determined he wished to marry her. “[I was] hell-bent on making that younger girl my spouse,” he wrote. She had had sufficient, although. When he requested her dad and mom for her hand, they stated no. However he did not cease. His pursuit of Amy started to scare her pals so her father despatched him a letter asking him to cease.

He lastly did. “I actually revered this man, and for the primary time all through this entire ordeal, I spotted that regardless that my intentions have been good, I had pushed this too far,” he penned. In hindsight, he is glad he failed miserably. “It is laborious for me to articulate how grateful I’m that we do not all the time get what we would like,” he added. 

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