The divorce of “Flip or Flop” stars Christina and Tarek El Moussa is not the first time an HGTV show has made headlines for things happening off-screen.
“Flip or Flop” couple’s messy divorce
The marital drama between “Flip or Flop” stars Christina and Tarek El Moussa became headline fodder after a May 2016 incident during which law enforcement responded to a call of a “possibly suicidal male with a gun.” An even bigger surprise was when HGTV revealed that the show would continue production “as scheduled” despite the couple’s separation.
“Fixer Upper” stars attend anti-gay church
Chip and Joanna Gaines, the Waco, Texas couple who hosts the fan-favorite series “Fixer Upper” came under fire in 2016 when a Buzzfeed report pointed out the fact that the show has never featured a gay couple, and that the couple attends an anti-gay church. The Gaineses refused to comment on the uproar, with Chip simply tweeting “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith.”
Homophobic hosts’ show axed before debut
In 2014, HGTV pulled the plug on the show “Flip It Forward” in the middle of production when it was uncovered that the hosts, David and Jason Benham were fervently anti-gay. A video surfaced online of David talking about “homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation” and advocating for a ban on same-sex marriage.
“House Hunters” is fake
One of HGTV’s most popular shows, “House Hunters,” has long been rumored to be staged, but in 2012 one of the former home buyers featured on the show said her entire experience was staged by producers. In a statement addressing the controversy, the network later admitted to “managing certain production and time constraints.”
“Property Brothers” bar brawl
Jonathan Scott, one half of the brother duo behind the hugely popular “Property Brothers” was thrown out of a North Dakota bar in 2016 after getting into a fight with the bouncer when his drink was taken away at closing time.
“Flip or Flop” scam classes
An AP report from Oct. 2016 found that lessons in how to flip houses offered by Christina and Tarek El Moussa were little more than a money-making scam. According to several attendees, the couple did not show up in person, and the classes quickly devolved into a sales pitch for other of the couple’s products.
“Love It or List It” destroyed a couple’s house
In April 2016, a Raleigh, North Carolina couple filed a lawsuit over their appearance on the show, claiming that they were the victims of shoddy workmanship that left their home in an unusable state after the renovation. They also claimed that the on-screen personalities had little to do with the actual work, and that they were all assigned “roles” by producers to play for the show.
