Joanna and Chip Gaines are the famous “Fixer Upper” couple, whose life story tells the tale about a successful business and a strong marriage. The two are loved by their fans and often featured in the media, while they have also shared their story in multiple written works and interviews. The couple co-authored The Magnolia Story autobiography, while they also have their own publications. Together, Joanna and Chip own the Magnolia franchise and are very successful in the real estate business, but their success did not come overnight and their story is an inspiring one.
Enter Joanna Gaines
The spotlight of this story falls on Joanna Gaines, a writer, and entrepreneur, and her husband Chip Gaines, also an entrepreneur. Together, they are known all around the world as the stars of the Fixer Upper TV show which aired between 2013 and 2018 on HGTV. The show was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, one Critics Choice, and one People’s Choice Award. Joanna also authored and co-authored four books: The Magnolia Story, Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering, Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave, and We Are the Gardeners. However, Joanna's story begins way back, when she was just a multi-ethnic child in Texas, USA.
Beauty in Multi-Ethnicity
Joanna Gaines was born in Kansas, but she grew up in Texas. Her parents were of Korean, German, and Lebanese heritage, so Joanna was a multi-ethnic child. She remembers that she did not know what ethnicity was until she started school. In an interview, Joanna described a moment when she was walking through the school lunchroom and felt like all eyes were on her. It was very stressful, as she was wondering if she could find a place to sit and have friends at all. She ran to the school’s toilet and locked herself in. Joanna thought she just wasn’t going to be good enough for life.
Meet Jerry & Nan Stevens
Joanna’s mother, Nan, is Korean. She married Joanna’s father, Jerry, who is German and Lebanese, forty-five years ago. According to Joanna, her mother and father met in 1969, while Jerry was stationed in Korea. Against all odds, they met and fell for each other. Joanna says their story is something that belongs in a movie. In fact, Nan saw Jerry at a random party, just sitting alone, and without even knowing him, she told her friends that she would marry 'that guy.' After they met, Jerry went back to the US, but they stayed in touch. Not long after, Jerry sent her a plane ticket and their Las Vegas wedding was held in 1972.
They Went to Baylor University
Interestingly, both Joanna and Chip graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, but they did not know each other back then. Chip was born on November 14, 1974, while Joanna was born on April 19, 1978. Chip graduated with a degree in business administration and marketing in 1998, while Joanna graduated with a degree in Communications in 2001. As it turned out, Chip frequently visited a shop owned by Jerry, Joanna’s father, that sold Firestone tires. Chip saw Joanna’s photo on the wall and later admitted he went there just to get a chance to meet her. Isn't that sweet?
Firestone Shop Stalker
Upon seeing Joanna’s photo on her dad’s shop wall, Chip found himself intrigued by her but later thought that she was ‘the one,' as he later described those moments. Jerry, Joanna’s father, was selling Firestone tires in his shop, but Chip admitted that soon enough, he had that 'hidden agenda' of wanting to meet Jerry's daughter. So Chip started to go to the shop frequently. Joanna was also featured in a TV commercial for her father’s Firestone shop and when Chip finally met her, he used that to break the ice. They ended up talking thirty minutes, and the next day, Chip called her on the phone and asked her out.
Chip Was Late On Their First Date
According to Joanna’s memoirs and celebrity news, Chip was late on their first date. Joanna was at home with friends and they waited for him for an hour and a half. Her friends were curious about who Chip was and what he looked like, but they all thought he stood Joanna up. Finally, when Chip knocked on the door, Joanna went to her room and pretended she wasn’t there, but her friends let him in and forgave him for being late. Chip insisted that it wasn’t a half an hour delay, but twenty minutes at the max.
Shopping & Proposing
The couple’s second date was months later, although they did hit it off immediately. Apparently, Chip wanted to win a bet he made with his roommate about who could last longer without calling their date. Chip and Joanna fell in love despite being complete opposites, as they both admitted later on. They also had similarities, like their religious upbringing. Joanna said that it was Chip’s kindness and sincere eyes that made her think she could trust him and fall for him. Still, it took them two years before becoming engaged. Chip proposed in a shopping center in Waco.
Tying The Knot
After two years of dating, Joanna and Chip felt like they could both trust each other. It was shortly after their engagement that they tied the knot. The got married on May 31, 2003, in the Earle-Harrison House, located in Waco, Texas. The mansion was built in 1958 and had a rich history, but for Joanna and Chip, it was significant because it looked a lot like the place where they spent their first date in. However, Joanna would only discover her passion for decorating and business after she would join Chip in his ventures.
Flipping Houses
Chip was flipping houses even before he met Joanna and now she joined him in house flipping ventures. But she quickly discovered how passionately she felt about home décor. In fact, Joanna fondly remembers that one of the first homes she renovated was their first house as a married couple. But, she admitted that they did a terrible job at decorating it. Joanna and Chip also revealed that they struggled at the beginning and that the only funds they had were in “Chip’s pocket," as Joanna had described it afterward.
Magnolia Tree
Soon after Joanna had her first taste of the business and they were in it together, the couple opened their own store. According to Joanna and Chip's memoirs, they needed to borrow $5K. They opened their own retail store called Magnolia Market, in Waco. They picked out that name specifically because it was significant to them both. On their first date, Chip had climbed a magnolia tree and picked Joanna a bloom. Through the store, they sold lifestyle goods and handpicked décor for houses. Today, Magnolia Market is a two-city-block shopping complex.
Their Own Basketball Team!
As their business flourished, so did their family. Throughout the course of the next decade, between 2004 and 2012, Chip and Joanna Gaines had five kids - much like a basketball team! They appeared a few times on the show Fixer Upper, hosted by their parents, but Chip and Joanna prefer to keep their lives private. They want their kids to have a normal childhood, free of fame, and the hounding paparazzi. Their youngest son Crew was born in 2018, while they also have Emmie Kay (2010), Duke (2009), Ella (2006), and Drake (2005).
Growing Pains
Things were just looking great and promising in their business, and so the Gaines family had to make smart investments and even take risks. Through their journey and various trials, they also found out who they really were. Joanna said on several occasions that Chip was the visionary behind it all and thus he was harder to succumb to stress, while she was always looking at day to day numbers and often cried in frustration. However, they kept going forward and they both endured by relying on each other and their friends. Their hard work was soon noticed…
Good News Travels Fast
Joanna kept an online blog that detailed their work with Magnolia Market and showcased her work as an interior designer. As the couple’s success grew, they gained more following, and pretty soon, they attracted the attention of important people. It was Katie Neff, a TV producer, who approached Joanna in 2012 and pitched her the idea for a TV show that would feature home renovation, on HGTV. According to Joanna, Chip thought the call was a scam and they went with it and called Neff back. Their Fixer Upper reality TV show premiered in 2013.
Catapulting To Fame
Pretty soon, Chip and Joanna Gaines became famous as the show was an immediate hit. The couple was seen often on TV as they showcased their work but also talked about their journey. The public sure was interested in their marriage and life story, and there were also various speculations featured in tabloid media. All that ended when Joanna’s first book, The Magnolia Story, came out in 2016 and detailed all the moments from their relationship and marriage. Their entire winding road to success was soon read all over the world!
Magnolia Table
In 2018, Joanna published her cookbook - Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering. A good home and good food naturally go together, according to Joanna. In her publication, she states that it is best to celebrate your family and home with a great meal. And truly, there is nothing better to mark the tradition than to show what you are thankful for. She included 125 classic recipes of her personal choice, for all kinds of meals. The cookbook was aimed at promoting their newly opened restaurant called Magnolia Table.
A Successful Woman
The show Fixer Upper achieved great critical and commercial success and both Chip and Joanna were soon invited to speak on various occasions about their work to help motivate people. In 2018, Joanna also released Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave while her latest written work is titled We Are the Gardeners. The latter was released in 2019. Chip and Joanna became a symbol of a strong marriage and a successful business relationship. According to sources, their combined net worth in 2019 is estimated to be around $18M.
Hired By Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez
In March 2019, Jennifer Lopez, the world-famous singer, songwriter, actress, and producer, reportedly hired Joanna Gaines. Jennifer got engaged to Alex Rodriguez, in March 2019, the same month JLo hired Joanna. Alex is a former baseball pro who played for twenty-two years in the Major League Baseball. Together, Jennifer and Alex reportedly purchased a three-story cool mansion in Malibu recently and now they want an expert to help them remodel their newly-acquired love nest. The betrothed couple reportedly shelled out $6.6M for the 4,404-square-foot mansion, which was built in 1949.
Living On A Farm Is A Dream Come True
Back in 2012, after Joanna and Chip had finally relaxed and after changing nine homes since they were married in 2003, they decided it was time to settle down. They bought this farmhouse as it was their dream to live on a farm, as Joanna wrote in her blog, Magnolia. It took the couple another six months for the restoration process, as they carefully pieced the old home together, with some modifications of their own. It is presumed that the house was built somewhere in the late nineteen century. It also came with forty acres of land and they now have over sixty animals there, according to Joanna’s Instagram account.
The King & Queen Of Fixer Uppers
Chip and Joanna reportedly also bought a genuine castle in Waco, Texas, in 2019. The media is already dubbing them the ‘King and Queen of fixer uppers.' The castle was built back in 1890 so it is over a hundred years old. It features 6,700 square feet of living space with two and a half bathrooms and three bedrooms. It was also revealed that Joanna and Chip actually admired this real estate for almost two decades and have finally bought it. They reportedly paid $425K for it, an amount, which by now, they could readily afford.
Property Brothers Vs. Fixer Upper
Property Brothers is a successful reality TV program hosted by Jonathan and Drew Scott, identical twin brothers. Drew is an expert in scouting and finding neglected houses. He also negotiates the price, while Jonathan comes in as a licensed contractor. Their show is very similar to Fixer Upper, as they help families in finding their dream homes on a tight budget. The fans of the two shows presume that there is a competition between the hosts and that the Gaines and the Scotts do not get along, but in truth, they are in good relations. Various sites even let fans choose which team they support.
Magnolia Foundation
It is always important to give something back and to remember where you come from. The Gaines, Chip, and Joanna are enjoying worldwide fame and great success in their work, on and off the TV. They decided to use their influence to do good and to inspire people to donate to charity. That is why they founded the Magnolia Foundation, which is aimed at supporting other organizations mainly focused on orphan care, family housing, community restoration, and youth development. It is a non-profit organization, so 100% of all the public donations are forwarded to the right causes.
Behind the Design & Other Business Ventures
In 2017, Joanna also started a spin-off show called Behind the Design, which premiered in April 2018, on HGTV. The show gives the audience a deeper insight into Joanna’s work as a designer and details the projects seen on Fixer Upper. It also achieved critical and commercial success, like the original show. Season one delved into the details of the designs featured on Fixer Upper’s season five. Joanna also launched her own pillow and rug line, partnered with Pier 1 Imports, in 2018. In February 2019, Chip and Joanna also announced that they will open a coffee shop, near their Magnolia Market Silos, in Waco.