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What Happened to Chip and Joanna Gaines? Why the Couple Left HGTV After ‘Fixer Upper’ Fame
For five seasons, Chip and Joanna Gaines wowed HGTV audiences with their Fixer Upper renovations. Fans were shocked when the couple announced the end of their beloved show and departure from the network in 2017.
What Happened to Chip and Joanna Gaines?
Everyone’s favorite Waco, Texas, couple found fame overnight when the first season of Fixer Upper hit the HGTV lineup in May 2013. Family was always at the heart of their show, as the couple are the proud parents of five children, Drake, Ella Rose, Duke, Emmie Kay and Crew.
With the help of Clint Harp, Jimmy Don Holmes, Saul “Shorty” Sanchez and other series favorites, Chip and Joanna were able to tackle projects both big and small in their town. Four more successful seasons followed, and it became clear that the home design experts were a true ratings hit.
On September 26, 2017, Chip and Joanna announced that they were ending Fixer Upper after five seasons.
“It is with both sadness and expectation that we share the news that season 5 of Fixer Upper will be our last,” the duo shared on the Magnolia blog. “While we are confident that this is the right choice for us, it has for sure not been an easy one to come to terms with. Our family has grown up alongside yours, and we have felt you rooting us on from the other side of the screen. How bittersweet to say goodbye to the very thing that introduced us all in the first place.”The series finale of Fixer Upper aired on HGTV on April 3, 2018.
Where Are Chip and Joanna Gaines Now?
In November 2018, the duo announced they were returning to TV on their own channel, Magnolia Network. It was officially launched in January 2022 with an array of design and lifestyle programming.
Despite leaving the network that made them famous, Chip and Joanna’s empire continues to grow by the day! They are the owners of the Magnolia Market shopping center at the Silos, authors of multiple books, stars of several Magnolia Network shows and owners of Hotel 1928.
“I think what’s been cool about us — and what I’m proud of — goes back to that sort of naive position of when we got into this,” Chip reflected on their success in a May 2023 interview with Deadline. “We didn’t look at something we thought was successful and then try to emulate it; try to reproduce it. So, if we’re disruptive, it’s because we are completely original and completely authentic.”
