In his book titled No Pain, No Gaines, which was released in March 2021, Chip Gaines talks about a moment in his life where he realized fame was starting to take over his life. And while some people relish in that moment and soak it in, it wasn’t that type of experience for Chip – who started questioning it all.
The incident happened while Chip was at a local flea market with his son, Duke – his youngest child at the time. Like any child in a grocery store, Duke started to wander off and, before Chip could scoop him up and ensure the child’s safety, a swarm of fans rushed over to have their moment with Chip Gaines.
Duke was only about 10 feet ahead of Chip when fans started asking Chip for pictures, asking where Joanna was, asking for autographs, and doing normal things a fan would do when in the presence of a celebrity. Chip quickly realized that he had lost contact with his son in the midst of all the chaos.
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He eventually got a hold of his son and went to a more secluded place, but that incident resonated with Chip and he used it as a moment to reflect on what’s important in this world. It acted as an eye-opener, a wake up call, that things needed to change. From that point on, he changed his perspective on fame.
In an interview with TODAY in 2021, when he was promoting his book, Chip spoke about the incident and how it resulted in a new outlook on life. “It was a bit of a sad moment where I realized that fame had sort of overwhelmed and taken over my entire life,” he said, adding it was a feeling he experienced often.
“And so I was basically on my way to kind of gobble him up and get him back into a safe place, and at about that same second, I was surrounded by this group of people,” he explained – noting one fan, who couldn’t help herself and squeezed his cheeks. From that moment on, his approach to life changed.
“It was sort of a disturbing series of events only because I realized in that moment I was incapable of communicating accurately that I was actually a desperate father trying to get my son into a safe place,” he said. At the same time, he wanted to resonate with fans and avoid being seen as another rude celebrity.
Joanna and Chip Gaines Are on to Bigger, Better Things in 2022
Chip and Joanna Gaines rose to fame with their hit design and renovation show called Fixer Upper. It first aired on HGTV in May 2013 and had an impressive five-season run – the last episode airing in April 2018. By 2019, they announced a joint venture with Discovery to rebrand DIY Network to the Magnolia Network.
The rebranding took longer than expected, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic hindering their plans, but the network finally made its full launch in January 2022. This came after the couple revived their popular renovation series, calling it Fixer Upper: Welcome Home. It ran for nine episodes in early 2021.
A lot has happened since then. Earlier this year, the couple announced a new spinoff called Fixer Upper: Welcome Home — The Castle. The show made its premiere in October on discovery+, HBO Max and Magnolia Network. They’ve also helped launch a slew of other shows through their Magnolia Network.
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Not only that, but Joanna Gaines published a new memoir back in August – her first solo memoir titled The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters. The memoir speaks about doubt and belief, shame and acceptance, and her personal journey from insecurity to self-discovery.
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