The beloved Gaines brand just took a hard left turn.
Chip and Joanna Gaines — long celebrated for their faith-driven family image — are now drawing backlash from fans for caving to the LGBT agenda.
Their new show, “Back to the Frontier,” premiered Thursday on HBO. It’s marketed as a “social experiment” where modern families live like 1800s pioneers.
But this experiment came at a price: the trust of their loyal base of support.
The backlash centers on their inclusion of Jason and Joe Hanna-Riggs, two gay men raising a pair of adopted sons.
As Realtor.com reported, Jason Hanna-Riggs explained their motivation bluntly: “What really inspired me was when I saw the flyer on social media, and I saw a gay couple on the front of that flyer.”
He called it “a great opportunity for representation for same-sex couples.”
Joe Hanna-Riggs admitted, he was “very hesitant,” saying, “Why are we going to do this? Why are we going to have no running water, no electricity. Like, ‘What are we signing up for?’”
Are you done with Chip and Joanna Gaines?
But that hesitation apparently faded.
They brought the boys, Ethan and Lucas, along for the ride.
According to the outlet, the family confessed to struggling with “phantom rings” and withdrawal from their devices. They eventually adjusted, calling the lifestyle “very physical.”
And Chip Gaines? He shamelessly plugged the show on X with no mention of its controversial casting.
Y’all are going to love this show!! Social experiment + family time well spent.. https://t.co/CSvjdb074u
— Chip Gaines (@chipgaines) July 10, 2025
“Y’all are going to love this show!! Social experiment + family time well spent,” he wrote on X on Thursday evening.
The omission of two men role-playing as a family didn’t go unnoticed.
The Daily Wire’s Megan Basham blasted the decision, writing, “This is incredibly disappointing, but not particularly surprising.”
This is incredibly disappointing, but not particularly surprising. When the Gaines’ chose to stay silent through Target’s promotion of transgender merchandise to children (they of course have a massive Target retail line), it was pretty clear that they had little interest in… https://t.co/cHT2Lg5I98
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) July 11, 2025
Basham added, “Highlighting their faith early in their business building helped get them where they are, but they don’t need to do it anymore. It is indeed very sad.”
Other fans were more direct.
“You are promoting a household where two men custom ordered two motherless boys,” one said.
You are promoting a household where two men custom ordered two motherless boys.
Maybe you thought you were being kind or inclusive to the adults.
You’re actually complicit in “causing these little ones to stumble.”
Pull the show.
— Katy Faust (@Advo_Katy) July 11, 2025
“Maybe you thought you were being kind or inclusive … You’re actually complicit in ‘causing these little ones to stumble.’ Pull the show.”
Another put it plainly: “I hope the money from HBO was worth it.”
I hope the money from HBO was worth it to turn your long-time, loyal fan base against you by compromising your Christian values on family and sexuality. I hope you’ll reconsider the things that led you to do this.
— John William Sherrod (@jwsherrod) July 11, 2025
For a couple who once built a brand on biblical values, this feels like a betrayal because it is one.
Faith isn’t a trend, and fans shouldn’t forget what the Gaines family is doing when these two need their support for another project.
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