When the world was first introduced to Chip
and Joanna Gaines, they were trying to make a living flipping houses, and had no idea
how successful they'd become. Here's how the couple has changed since their
show, Fixer Upper's premiere. What started as a small way for Joanna Gaines
to share her love of design with the world turned into a massive media frenzy. Her world completely changed when a producer
from HGTV just happened to stumble across her small blog in 2012. She later admitted to Today - "I don't think we ever knew it was going to
be this national thing." By the time fans had followed Fixer Upper
into Season 3, it was the number show one on cable television. By Season 4, it was taking up 10 percent of
HGTV's air time, and by the time their television series came to an end after five seasons,
it had received two Emmy nominations. In 2018, after becoming the most popular duo
in HGTV history, Joanna and Chip Gaines left HGTV for a special reason, with Joanna telling
People - "We really want to focus on this break and
take a step back to let this all soak in," "And I'm wanting it to look-" "A little more aged." "Chip…babe" "Oh dude I'm sorry, oh my gosh, didn't even
see you there." Understandably, fans were frazzled that Fixer
Upper was ending, but it was just the beginning of what the Gaines were building. As if they weren't busy enough, Chip and Joanna
decided to continue to tackle television while also working a construction business and chasing
after four kids. However, when the couple signed on for Fixer
Upper, their dance card wasn't full yet. Alongside their growing businesses came a
growing family as well. In 2018, the Gaines welcomed their fifth child,
Crew and decided to take a break from TV. Watching their kids grow up while working
on Fixer Upper had already been enough of a whirlwind for the overwhelmed family. "Those years just flew by because there was
so much happening in the moment. I feel like I can really take this one in
and relish these moments." However, the Gaines family decided to take
on television once again in 2021, and they show no signs of slowing down - in all aspects
of their life. So are Chip and Joanna Gaines having another
baby? She hinted at the possibility in 2019 by telling
Today - "I think Chip just loves a full plate." Before they were famous, few people knew that
the couple was having trouble financially. Money was tight when it came to making their
mortgage and feeding their family of six. Chip even admitted to Success Magazine - "There was a good ten year run to where Jo
and I were literally consistently worried about things that most people take for granted." It was thanks to the successful show that
the couple was able to make a real change, building the foundation for their futures. However, this Hollywood-type career took the
pair even further than that. So just how much are Chip and Joanna Gaines
really worth? The two now have a net worth of $20 million. However, becoming multi-millionaires was never
the Gaines' end goal - it was much simpler than that. "I was wanting to support my family. I wanted to live, you know, the American dream." A year before Fixer Upper premiered, Chip
and Joanna Gaines fell in love with a farmhouse outside of Waco, Texas. Its 40 rolling acres seemed like the perfect
place to raise their family - and dozens of farm animals. However, much like all the properties the
pair work on, it required a bit of labor. Throughout Season 1 of Fixer Upper, Chip and
Joanna released a series of YouTube videos showing fans how they were renovating their
home. As their fame came to fruition, so did their
own fixer upper. Joanna updated their fans on the house via
her blog, posting - "Just like all of us, our homes have a journey
of their own." While the Gaines family have a busy life running
their businesses and appearing on our television screens, Chip and Joanna still claim to be
homebodies at heart, with Chip writing on their blog, "You can drag us out and make us travel and
even put us up in some fancy place way nicer than where we live, but the reality remains
the same, we want to go back home." Needless to say, fans quickly fell in love
with Fixer Upper. So to share their in-demand designs, Chip
and Joanna Gaines launched their Texas based retail businesses, Magnolia Market at the
Silos – but countless viewers all over the country wanted to bring the heart of Waco
into their own homes, too. In 2017, the Gaines family finally made a
deal with Target and created a collection called Hearth & Hand to share with the world. Joanna sounded excited about the development
in her press release about the deal - "When guests visit [our shops at] the Silos
in Waco, Texas, they get to experience the true essence of what Magnolia is. We know that not everyone can come visit,
so we are excited to bring some of our home to yours." That was a welcome change for eager fans! To preserve the Magnolia image in the Hearth
& Hand collection, Joanna made sure that the national collection shared a similarity to
their small store in Waco. Chip provided a glimpse of what customers
could expect to see via their blog - "It's like a little shop inside of Target. Jo keeps calling the look 'modern farmhouse,'
whatever that means." The Gaines didn't have to leave the small
world of Waco, Texas, in order to get famous - rather, the fame came to them instead. This Fixer Upper couple now has fans all across
the country, and the entire world now knows them by name. In fact, in 2017, the pair's social media
presence earned them a spot on The Hollywood Reporter's list of Top TV Personalities. With over 12 million followers on Instagram
alone, Joanna was named the number one personality that people loved to follow across all platforms. It turns out that she had more fans posting
to her social media pages than Jimmy Fallon and even Oprah Winfrey. Joanna didn't sound like the fame has gone
to her head, admitting to Today that they still get starstruck - "We get tweets from celebrities. It's very surreal." So as of now, these two homebodies turned
household names are hopeful that they can still lead normal lives outside of the limelight;
the urge to live the simple life hasn't changed for them. What makes Fixer Upper so successful isn't
just the fact that fans love to watch Chip and Joanna Gaines flip houses. People also love that these two Texans come
across as an average family that fans can relate to. In 2016, the Gaines realized there was more
to them than renovations - and that publishers were interested. To that end, the couple gave fans an inside
look at their lives in their book The Magnolia Story. Within its pages, Chip and Joanna explain
how they began their businesses, what life lessons they've learned, and how they've changed. Not surprisingly, the book quickly became
a New York Times Best Seller. In a statement, Joanna said - "Getting to tell this story together was like
uncovering and reliving half-a-lifetime's worth of happy memories, failures, and adventures." Chip and Joanna have also published additional
tomes to the delight of Fixer Upper fans. That includes the countless cookbooks they've
written, as well as a children's book inspired by their own little ones. When Chip and Joanna signed on to star in
Fixer Upper, they originally thought no one but locals would tune in. Boy, were they wrong. In fact, the Gaines family can't go anywhere
anymore without being recognized, with Chip telling the New York Times - "No matter how many times someone asks me
to sign their hat or asks Jo for a picture, it still feels surreal. We don't think of ourselves as 'famous' even
now." Rather, they view themselves simply as a family
of fixer uppers. Even as they've gotten super famous, the Gaines
always remember to stay grounded. Joanna explained this in an interview with
People - "We're trying to make it to where it's as
normal as possible for our kids, that they don't get the magnitude of this." So while television has treated them well,
raising their kids right will always come first. Joanna Gaines had always dreamed of opening
her own businesses, something Chip during a chat with BUILD Series - "She had this whole book, a notebook, full
of businesses that she would hypothetically start one day." Impressed by Joanna's ideas, Chip wanted her
to make what she wrote down a reality. "I just dreamed about them and he really encouraged
me to step out and make one of those dreams happen." After television, another industry seemed
to be calling out to Chip and Joanna. And after releasing countless cookbooks, it
really should be no surprise that the pair wanted to get into the restaurant business. So in 2016, Chip and Joanna Gaines fixed up
an abandoned restaurant that the locals had always loved. They turned it into Magnolia Table, and when
that was a hit, they also opened a quaint coffee shop called Magnolia Press in 2020. At the end of the day, fixing up a food business
wasn't so foreign to Chip and Joanna either, writing on their blog - "We're especially excited about the custom
furniture Jo designed that you'll find throughout the Press." Since the first episode of Fixer Upper aired
in 2013, Chip and Joanna Gaines have had quite an effect on audiences everywhere - so much
so that in 2019, a whole year after they wrapped up their show, they made Time's list of the
100 Most Influential People. During the awards gala, Chip and Joanna found
themselves rubbing shoulders with celebrities - quite the change from their humble Texas
roots. Chip shared what was going through their minds
in an interview with Today - "It set in really quickly and overwhelmingly. It was like, what are we doing here?" Truly, the Gaines never dreamed they'd be
where they are today. Their initial plan for Joanna was to eventually
take over her family's automotive business, after all, as she explained in The Magnolia
Story - "If I had planned my life, it never would
have ended up like this. So maybe it's kind of fun not to plan." Everywhere Chip and Joanna Gaines go, they
want it to feel homey. They want others to feel the same, too, so
bringing people to Waco is what they're most passionate about, with Joanna explaining on
their blog - "What it really comes down to is our desire
to create a place where people feel welcomed." Fans can spend the night in homes that were
featured on Fixer Upper, but in 2019, Chip was dreaming bigger. He decided to buy a boutique hotel close to
their downtown shops, and naturally, fix it up. But at nearly 53,000 square feet, it was a
much larger project than the pair was used to with Joanna initially hesitant and summing
up her thoughts during a chat with Today - "Let's just stick with houses." But after hearing Chip's plans for the place
and getting over the fact that it may or may not be haunted, she began to share his vision. They aren't done either, as later that year,
Chip and Joanna Gaines purchased a historic castle in Waco as their next fixer upper. Two years after Fixer Upper ended, Chip and
Joannccca Gaines let fans know that they were bringing it back in 2021 - finally! "What did you do Chip?" "I signed us up for another season of Fixer
Upper…" "Are you serious?" "Yes. I answered the office phone like you tell
me never to do." However it turns out that these two Texans
have more to share than just their love of fixer uppers. To that end, in 2019, the Gaines announced
that they're launching their own network on television, appropriately called Magnolia
Network. Set to replace the DIY Network, the Gaines
family are creating their own lineup of original content, from cooking to crafting. Truly, fans have become obsessed with Chip
and Joanna, something that Magnolia Network president Allison Page is keenly aware of
telling Variety - "It was their authenticity, relatability,
family focus and zest for life that made America fall in love with them." During Joanna Gaines' time on Fixer Upper,
she found herself falling in love with cooking. But with dozens of growing businesses and
her five kids to contend with, how could she possibly find time to cook? By being paid do it on TV! So after authoring cookbooks and even whipping
up some at-home cooking videos on YouTube "And once it sits, it hardens and I'm gonna
crumble it on top of the salad, and THAT is why my kids eat salad." "We don't actually eat the salad." Joanna will host her very own cooking show
on Magnolia Network, announcing on her blog - "I want to share recipes with you that I love. But, even more than sharing recipes, I hope
it reminds you of what a gift it is to spend time in the kitchen, being creative and making
good food for people you love." To tease her new television show, Joanna starred
in a special on the Food Network; three million viewers tuned into In the Kitchen with Joanna
Gaines to see her cook. Waco, Texas wasn't necessarily a tourist destination
before Chip and Joanna Gaines featured the town on television. But ever since Fixer Upper became a massive
hit, more people make the pilgrimage to Magnolia Market than the Alamo; over 30,000 visitors
from all over the world stop by the shops each week according to the Waco Tribune-Herald. "All the way from Bakersfield, California!" "Albany, Oregon!" "New Orleans, Louisiana!" "Seattle Washington!" Joanna admitted on her blog - "This entire business idea was born completely
out of a dream I didn't know could ever come to life." While Fixer Upper may have started out as
a show about flipping houses, for the Gaines, it's so much more than that: it's special
footage of their family, town, and way of life. In an interview with Today Chip said - "It makes sense that we like it, it makes
sense that my grandmother likes it, but why does everybody else like it?" While their mass appeal is something that
Chip and Joanna still can't wrap their minds around, they have revitalized Waco and given
it a new energy, but they remain humble with Chip saying - "We just feel extremely thankful." Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more The List videos about your
favorite house flippers are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the
bell so you don't miss a single one.
