Even before Chip and Joanna Gaines, the stars of HGTV’s hit show Fixer Upper, publicly revealed that they were going to end their show, rumors swirled of the impending announcement.
News outlets claimed the show was ending because the Gaineses were having marital problems, or weren’t being offered enough money, all of which they are saying is untrue. In an interview with PEOPLE Magazine, the popular Waco, Texas couple set the record straight.
“We gave everything we had to this show — the beautiful homes and those sweet families — but this just felt like the right time to catch our breath for a bit,” Joanna said in the publication.
Since Fixer Upper‘s premiere in 2013, it quickly became HGTV’s highest-rated show because of the beautiful renovations the couple makes on the houses they work on, as well as their loving family-oriented relationship.
Their success allowed them to launch their Magnolia business, a real estate company, the Silos, which is a retail space that sees up to 40,000 visitors per week, according to MSN, and write a couple best-selling books. The couple also just announced a new line with Target, as well as an upcoming restaurant.
Chip and Joanna film a whopping 11 months out of the year, which they had no clue was out of the norm.
“Nobody told us that that was unique,” Chip said of the grueling schedule. “Nobody told us that that was a little bit irrational.”
Parents to four children ranging in age from 7-12, Chip and Joanna reveal their kids would often ask them, “Mom and Dad, do you guys have to film again today? When is this going to be over?”
It was then that they realized they needed to take a break.
“We really want to focus on this break and take a step back to let this all soak in,” Joanna says. “Regardless of what the future holds, we are hopeful for what God has for us and our family in this next season.”
The Gaines family plans on spending a whole lot more time together once production is officially done.
The upcoming final season of Fixer Upper will begin in November.
