5 Times Joanna & Chip Gaines Sent Divorce Rumors Flying

Chip and Joanna Gaines got married in Waco, Texas, on May 31, 2003, and welcomed five children. The couple shot to stardom in 2013 with their hit HGTV show "Fixer Upper," and since then, they've solidified themselves as a much-loved couple in the home interior world. Their impeccable style and eye for homes have built them an empire. But with Chip and Joanna's level of fame and success, the couple has also been bombarded by divorce rumors, many of which they've addressed directly. They're not alone, though. Several celeb couples've had to laugh off divorce rumors. After all, relationships are hard, and there are red flags in Hollywood that we can learn from. When it comes to learning from Chip and Joanna, the flags are mostly green, with a few questionable moments. 

For the couple, divorce isn't on the table. While sitting down with Access Hollywood in 2021, Chip spoke about their commitment to their marriage. "One thing that I would say is our superpower is that Jo and I are not quitters," he began. "I mean, throwing in the towel is not something that, honestly, ever even comes to mind. And I would say that that happened pretty early in our relationship, where we just thought, that's interesting, that divorce or leaving one another is not really an option for us." So they're clearly planning on sticking it out together, but that doesn't mean the couple hasn't sparked rumors about divorce. 

Things seemed a little off in June 2025, when Joanna Gaines celebrated her father on Father's Day but didn't mention husband, Chip Gaines, father to their five children. "To an amazing girl dad, husband, grandfather, friend, businessman and a hippie at heart — you have taught us so much. Happy Father's Day!" Joanna wrote on Instagram, sharing photos of her dad, mom, and sisters. The omission made for a slightly awkward Father's Day. A fan actually jumped in the comments to celebrate Chip for Joanna, which only amplified her forgetfulness. "A most fabulous family!!! Happy Father's Day, Mr. Stevens and Chip too — another devoted father," they wrote. There was no mention of Chip or her own children that day. 

Part of the reason that divorce rumors about Chip and Joanna's marriage gain so much momentum is that their divorce would be particularly devastating for their brand and business. Of course, it would also be tough for their big family, but the two have built an empire around themselves as a couple. They have a home goods brand called Hearth & Hand with Magnolia as well as a media brand and TV network called Magnolia Network. The whole spirit of their companies is about family life, and they're the faces of this major operation. If they were to divorce, the unique spin of their family-run business would fall apart. 

Chip and Joanna Gaines started rumors about a potential divorce when they sat down with People in July 2025 for an exclusive feature called "Their Next Chapter: Marriage 2.0." The phrasing had a slightly awkward undercurrent to it, implying that they had potentially split and gotten back together, or that they were trying again after something had gone wrong. It stirred up speculation that something was off. "Just curious about 'marriage 2.0.' What is that? Did they split & get back together?" a concerned fan asked on Joanna's Instagram post about the interview. Another commented in all caps, "I AM A FAN OF THE SHOW BUT AS A COUPLE THEY SEEM COMPLETELY OVER & OFF." Basically, people latched onto the 2.0 talk and ran with it. 

The truth is, Chip and Joanna were celebrating 22 years of marriage that summer, and they were talking about what it was like to enter a new chapter in a long-term relationship. "What we've realized in 22 years of marriage ... is we still feel like newbies. Anytime you unlock a new thing, and you do it together, it only grows your relationship," Joanna said of their life together. So there was no fire from that smoke. 

Relationships evolve and change, and Chip and Joanna Gaines have admitted that about their marriage. When the couple sat down with People in 2023, both Chip and Joanna opened up about how things morph and grow in a long-term relationship. "I would say, as we're getting older, I'm shifting and I'm more like Chip, and Chip is more like me," Joanna explained. Chip jumped in to second this. "Jo and I are in this beautiful moment. We're evolving into each other," he said. The thing that made fans concerned was when Joanna later added in the interview, "Change is hard." 

While relationships do evolve, people worried that Joanna was referring to changes within their marriage that the two were struggling with. And fans speculated that with all that talk of growth, Chip and Joanna have grown past each other. Fans noticed a change when the couple released their 2022 mini series "Fixer Upper: The Castle." On Reddit, the group r/HGTV had a lot to say on this change. A fan called Chip and Joanna's relationship "unrecognizable." They added, "Watching [The Castle], it's like you're watching a couple that's trying not to argue in front of the kids and really can't stand each other. It's so hard to watch." Others chimed in with comments about how Joanna's not as charmed by Chip's antics anymore. So maybe change is hard. 

Another reason that fans worry about Chip and Joanna Gaines's marriage is that Chip's outgoing personality can overshadow Joanna's quieter nature. During their interview with Access Hollywood in July 2021, fans noticed that Chip dominated the conversation while Joanna didn't get a chance to speak up. "Chip please let Joanna talk. We want to hear from her," a fan commented on YouTube. "I love Chip and Joanna [Gaines], but Chip needs to let Joanna talk. Noticed it on the Today Show also," someone else chimed in. "Chip always talks [too] much," another added. While Joanna's no doubt used to Chip's chattiness at this point, it has been a recurring concern for fans throughout their marriage, with people worried that Joanna gets talked over by her husband. 

On Reddit, the group r/HGTV had something to say about this, too, as fans expressed concern about the evident changes in their marriage, with some wondering about the longevity of their relationship. When the original poster noted that Joanna and Chip no longer interacted as sweetly as they once did, someone else presented a hypothesis. "Maybe she's had it with him interrupting her 24/7 to say something stupid? I don't know why they let him in front of the camera anymore, he's beyond obnoxious. She must be getting tired of it," they wrote. Ouch. But Chip can certainly be rambunctious, and Joanna does occasionally seem tired of it.

There's no doubt about it. Chip and Joanna Gaines are a clear case for the opposites-attract relationship theory. Chip is energetic and gregarious, while Joanna comes off as pragmatic and practical. However, this fire-and-ice combo has sparked concern for their marriage amongst fans. "[T]hey seem more business like and professional to me, rather than spouses," someone on Reddit commented under the group r/HGTV. "[Chip] seemed playful and goofy with [Joanna] and the kids (which I found charming) and she was constantly rude and dismissive to him. She seemed to be annoyed by his very existence," someone else commented. That certainly sounds worrying. 

While this may be something fans have noticed, Joanna herself has opened up about the fact that she's not very demonstrative or expressive. Joanna spoke on the podcast This Morning Walk in November 2023 about her own emotional growth. "I'm not super emotional — Chip is the emotional one — but I have turned into something he doesn't understand now. He's like, 'You cry all the time,' and I'm like, 'I'm just making up for the 20 years that I have been unemotional!'" Joanna said. While fans were more concerned about her lack of PDA with Chip, the fact that Joanna opened up about her emotional growth will likely feed into this and allow for changes.