Not done yet! Chip and Joanna Gaines announced their return to television via their own network seven months after their hit series, Fixer Upper, ended.
“We signed a non-disclosure and it said, ‘You can tell your mother, but that’s it.’ So mom, I just wanted to make a quick announcement: We are coming back to television,” Chip, 43, revealed during the Friday, November 9, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “You’re gonna get to see the kids grow up. You’ll get to see us — obviously maybe a six-month delay like the rest of the world. But we’re excited to be back.”
Chip, who appeared alongside his wife, 40, further explained their comeback. “We just learned a lot through the five-year process of being on Fixer Upper, and I think some of the things that really caused us the most problems, we have concluded, I think we can figure this out,” he teased. “So we’ve actually partnered with David Zaslav and Discovery. We’re actually gonna have a network, and I think we’re gonna really carve it out in a way that really makes sense to us and our family. It’s gonna be filmed a lot in Waco, Texas, so we don’t have to travel a whole lot.”
Discovery, Inc. confirmed the news to Us Weekly in a statement: “Discovery is thrilled to confirm that we are in exclusive talks with Chip and Joanna Gaines. The Gaines’ are exceptional people, true authentic storytellers and creative visionaries who will nourish millions of people with quality, family-friendly programming accessible on a 24/7 network and across all screens. Stay tuned … working out the final details … more to come soon!”
The former HGTV stars, who welcomed their fifth child in June, confirmed in September 2017 that season 5 would be Fixer Upper’s last. “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,” the couple wrote in a blog post at the time. “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 pair continued: “This has been an amazing adventure! We have poured our blood, sweat and tears into this show. We would be foolish to think we can go and go and fire on all cylinders and never stop to pause. Our family is healthy and our marriage has honestly never been stronger. This has nothing to do with a fraudulent skincare line or anything else you’ll inevitably read. This is just us recognizing that we need to catch our breath for a moment. Our plan is to take this time to shore up and strengthen the spots that are weak, rest the places that are tired and give lots of love and attention to both our family and our businesses.”
Chip elaborated on the reality stars’ decision to step away in their sit-down with Jimmy Fallon. “TV’s a tough business, man, and I mean, we came into this whole thing [in] sort of shock and awe. I mean, we had never had any inspiration to be on television, we didn’t know anything about the business,” he said. “And so when you step into this universe, I mean, it takes you a little bit to get your feet under you, to say the least. And I’d say after five years, we really realized we really wanted to take a step back and just kind of really focus on our marriage, focus on our family, and just kind of catch our breath.” The duo are parents of Drake, 13, Ella, 11, Duke, 10, Emmie Kay, 8, and Crew, 4 months.
Fixer Upper premiered in May 2013. The series finale aired in April.
