Chip and Joanna Gaines on the ‘Low Point’ That Led Them to Leave FIXER UPPER
By Movieguide® Staff
Chip and Joanna Gaines may have their own network that launched this week, but there was a time when the couple didn’t foresee a future in front of the screen.
“Five seasons in, which really translates to six years of being on television or filming on top of our growing family and our business, I think we were just exhausted,” Joanna told the TODAY show of the moment they decided to walk away from their HGTV series, FIXER UPPER. “When you start getting in that rhythm of just doing and then you forget the why, which I think by Season 5 we were just showing up.”
The couple described it as a “low point” in their careers.
“We both knew we needed to step back and just kind of evaluate what we were saying ‘yes to and the why. So, we just said for a full year we’re going to not take any calls, just sit back, focus on the business, focus on home,” Joanna said.
That was in 2018.
Fans were devastated by the announcement, but the couple knew they had to do something for their family.
“Can you imagine somebody in law school wanting to be an attorney and then finding out as they’re taking the Bar, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this with my life,’ Well, you’ve committed to that place. For us it was a little more like, ‘hey if this isn’t going to be our future, then let’s take a step back,'” Chip said.
Shortly thereafter, the Gaines found out they were pregnant with their fifth child, a son named Crew, and the break away from television allowed them to really dive into family life.
Now, they’re sharing those same values on their new Magnolia Network, which launched July 15, with shows like SUPER DAD and THE JOHNNYSWIM SHOW, not to mention the FIXER UPPER reboot.
“We understand people’s doubts,” says Chip. “It takes time to prove you’re trustworthy, but that feels like a challenge to me. I can’t wait to be 80 years old and for people to say, ‘Gosh, we really pegged you as phony.’”
