Joanna Gaines built an empire on the back of farmhouse chic and home renovations.
But her latest move has people scratching their heads.
And Joanna Gaines made one announcement that's driving HGTV fans crazy.
HGTV just went through a bloodbath nobody saw coming
HGTV spent the summer of 2025 canceling shows like a network executive with a grudge.
Married to Real Estate, Bargain Block, Farmhouse Fixer, Izzy Does It, Battle on the Beach — all gone.¹
Seven shows total got the ax in just a few months, leaving fans furious and stars blindsided.
Ty Pennington admitted he was "seriously shocked" by the carnage sweeping through the network.²
Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson announced their show was canceled after four seasons — right before it got nominated for an Emmy.³
Keith Bynum of Bargain Block said HGTV reversed course after already greenlighting season five, leaving his entire crew in the lurch after months of prep work.⁴
The network hasn't explained what's driving the mass cancellations.
But insiders told Variety that HGTV is "reshaping its programming strategy" to appeal to younger audiences.
Translation: They're dumping established shows that pulled big numbers to chase some mythical demographic that probably doesn't watch cable anyway.
Meanwhile, Joanna Gaines — who left HGTV in 2018 to launch her own Magnolia Network — returned for a tenth-anniversary special called Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse in June 2024.⁵
That show aired on both HGTV and Magnolia, giving the Gaineses a foot in both worlds while other hosts watched their shows burn.
Conservative Christians turn on Joanna Gaines after shocking betrayal
The Gaineses marketed themselves as wholesome Christian entrepreneurs who built their empire on traditional family values.
That carefully crafted image exploded in July when Magnolia Network premiered Back to the Frontier, featuring a gay couple with twin sons born through a surrogate.⁶
Franklin Graham, son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, called the decision "very disappointing" and said promoting what God defines as sin is "in itself sin."⁷
Ed Vitagliano of the American Family Association said the move was "sad and disappointing" from a couple who've been "very influential in the evangelical community."⁸
"Moreover, in the past, they have stood firm on the sanctity of marriage regardless of the personal cost that has entailed," Vitagliano added. "We aren't sure why the Gaines have reversed course, but we are sure of this: 'Back to the Frontier' promotes an unbiblical view of human sexuality, marriage, and family."⁹
Joel Berry, managing editor of the Babylon Bee, told Chip Gaines he can't let his kids watch the show anymore because he's "trying to protect their eyes and hearts from the lies of the world — lies you're now participating in."¹⁰
Chip Gaines fired back at critics with lectures about "judging" and "modern American Christian culture."¹¹
The backlash only intensified when clips from another Magnolia show, Roller Jam, went viral in August.
The roller skating competition features LGBTQ activist Johnny Weir as a judge, an all-LGBTQ skating team, and Joanna herself appearing as a judge in the finale calling it "a dream come true" and promoting it as "the whole family" should watch.¹²
Out Magazine praised Roller Jam as "the LGBTQ+ roller skating reality show we never knew we needed."¹³
These aren't random casting choices — they're deliberate signals that the Gaineses abandoned their conservative Christian base to chase Hollywood approval.
Joanna Gaines is now hawking frozen biscuits at Target
While alienating the very audience that made her famous, Joanna Gaines launched Magnolia Table frozen baked goods exclusively at Target last month.¹⁴
The line includes buttermilk biscuits, cinnamon rolls, banana bread, and three varieties of cookies.
"We've been dreaming this up for the last three years I almost can't believe they're finally here," Gaines posted on Instagram.¹⁵
She claimed the project stemmed from her belief in "the power of food" to "slow us down, draw us close, and invite us into the everyday moments that end up mattering most."
Right. Because nothing says "slowing down to savor life's moments" quite like pulling a box of frozen dough out of the Target freezer aisle.
The products launched at $11.99 but are currently on sale for $9.99.¹⁶
Food bloggers who tested the line gave mixed reviews — the cookies and biscuits got praise, but the cinnamon rolls were slammed as time-consuming with better alternatives already on the market.¹⁷
One reviewer noted the banana bread was "a bit too time-consuming to make" for a frozen product.¹⁸
Here's what this frozen food launch really represents: Joanna Gaines knows she's hemorrhaging her core conservative Christian audience and needs to diversify her revenue streams before the bottom falls out.
Food Network premiered her cooking show Magnolia Table: At the Farm in September, but fans trashed it as "very boring" and accused Gaines of having "zero skill" in the kitchen.¹⁹
Reddit users said she was desperately trying to copy Martha Stewart but "just doesn't have the charisma."²⁰
The frozen food line looks like a response to that failure — if people won't watch her cook, maybe they'll buy pre-made dough with her name on it.
Target's betting big on celebrity food brands after launching partnerships with chef Ann Kim and others.²¹
But Gaines already had a massive Target deal with her Hearth & Hand with Magnolia home goods collection, so this is just leveraging an existing relationship.
The Gaineses are worth an estimated $50 million and recently appeared as guest investors on Shark Tank.²²
That appearance alone tells you where their priorities lie — they're not interested in being anybody's cultural warriors anymore.
They traded their conservative Christian fanbase for Hollywood acceptance and mainstream corporate deals.
And now they're scrambling to replace that lost audience with frozen cookies and roller skating shows featuring drag queens.
The evangelical Christians who made Joanna Gaines a household name watched her promote gay couples raising children through surrogacy — something Scripture clearly condemns — while Chip lectured them about judging.
Those fans aren't coming back.
HGTV promised "100 episodes of new and returning shows" after the cancellation backlash.²³
But Joanna Gaines won't be one of them beyond limited special appearances.
She's too busy hawking frozen banana bread to people who couldn't care less about her faith — because the people who did care just watched her abandon it.
¹ Chaise Sanders, "Every HGTV Show That's Been Canceled in 2025—And What's Coming Back," Country Living, August 12, 2025.
² Katie Bowlby, "Ty Pennington Reacts to Recent HGTV Cancellations: 'Seriously Shocked'," Country Living, June 30, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Katie Bowlby, "Chip and Joanna Gaines Return to HGTV with 'Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse'," Country Living, June 2, 2024.
⁶ "Chip and Joanna Gaines controversy, explained: Why their new show 'Back to the Frontier' is triggering backlash," Yahoo Entertainment, July 18, 2025.
⁷ "Chip Gaines responds to backlash after Magnolia Network reality show features same-sex family," Fox News, July 14, 2025.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ "Chip Gaines Addresses Backlash Over Magnolia Network Reality Series Featuring Gay Couple: 'Love One Another, It's Not Difficult'," Deadline, July 15, 2025.
¹² "Chip and Joanna Gaines Face Intense Backlash for LGBTQ-Themed Shows," Charisma Magazine, August 26, 2025.
¹³ Ibid.
¹⁴ Cydney Yeates, "HGTV star Joanna Gaines makes wild career pivot as she builds her business portfolio amid network uncertainty," Daily Mail, November 13, 2025.
¹⁵ Ibid.
¹⁶ Ibid.
¹⁷ Ibid.
¹⁸ Ibid.
¹⁹ Ibid.
²⁰ Ibid.
²¹ Ibid.
²² Jennifer Havener, "HGTV Stars Chip & Joanna Gaines Join Hit Reality Show," TV Shows Ace, July 21, 2025.
²³ Katie Bowlby, "HGTV Announces All-New Programming After Cancellation Backlash," Country Living, August 21, 2025.