HGTV is known for providing wholesome home design, decorating, and renovation content that the whole family can enjoy and even aspire to. And its stars are expected to imitate that same branding. Think: squeaky clean husband and wife duos Chip and Joanna Gaines and Ben and Erin Napier. “We’ve really taken a leap with our storytelling to be more reflective of that. It’s not just about the bricks and mortar. It’s really about the life that’s lived in a home,” HGTV’s then-president Kathleen Finch told Variety in 2014 about the deliberate choice to hone in on the lives of the network’s talent, opting to give viewers more than just instructional how-tos.
Sadly, the trusty home and garden television channel’s decision to lean into its star power has backfired in some cases, leading to some of the biggest HGTV scandals ever. Some of HGTV’s reality stars are also nothing like they seem, weighed down by scandalous rumors we just can’t ignore. Let’s get into it!
Is Tim McClellan a big ol’ cheater?
Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater?! Comedian and television host Ellen DeGeneres debuted her brand new show “Ellen’s Design Challenge” on HGTV in 2015 to much fanfare. The reality competition series wherein furniture designers went head to head to compete for cold hard cash proved to be a success. Alas, one winner in particular quickly went from hero to zero following a serious cheating allegation.
During the finale episode, DeGeneres declared that contestant Tim McClellan had won the competition with a wood and steel desk comprised of many sleek, hidden drawers. One week later, however, someone brought it to DeGeneres’ attention that McClellan’s design was eerily similar to that of another desk created by European designer Simon Schacht. Ruh roh. In the end, DeGeneres disqualified McClellan and named runner-up contestant Katie Stout as the winner.
It should be noted, however, that McClellan vehemently denied that he intentionally copied his design from Schacht, even going on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” to tell his side of the story. “I have never heard of Simon — I’m not sure of his last name,” he told DeGeneres. “And in my recollection, I have never seen his piece of furniture before.” Still, he agreed that disqualifying him was the right decision. “I understand the decision made and accept it and recognize Katie as the legitimate winner.”
Tarek El Moussa had a brush with the cops following an incident with a gun
Viewers first met HGTV golden couple Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack way back in 2013. However, it wasn’t too long after the debut of their successful “Flip or Flop” series that the deep cracks in their seemingly perfect marriage began to surface. TMZ reported that police were sent to the couple’s home in May 2016 following “a call of a possibly suicidal male with a gun.” Witnesses told the tabloid news organization that El Moussa took a gun from his safe and then fled on foot to a nearby hiking trail.
In December of the same year, the couple eventually addressed the incident in a joint statement announcing their separation. “We had an unfortunate misunderstanding about six months ago, and the police were called to our house in an abundance of caution,” they wrote, per Us Weekly. “There was no violence, and no charges were filed. We chose to get counseling to sort out our relationship. Together, we have decided to separate while we reevaluate the future of our marriage.”
El Moussa further elaborated on the scandalous rumor in the confines of his 2024 book “Flip Your Life.” According to the HGTV star, he took the gun as a means of protection from the wildlife in the area following a verbal dispute with his then-wife, Haack. “That was the very last time we were together as a family: with Christina walking down the driveway, crying, and me sitting there in handcuffs, asking myself, ‘What in the world is going on?'” he penned.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org
Ben Napier got tangled up up in Brett Favre’s legal mess
Even “Home Town” star Ben Napier was embroiled in a scandal that rocked his reputation. It all started in February 2020, when a combination of 38 people and companies were sued civilly by The Mississippi Department of Human Services. The state agency alleged that they had improperly used welfare funds to fatten their own wallets. Shockingly, Brett Favre was among those being accused of committing such a heinous act. In the confines of the lawsuit obtained by Mississippi Today, Favre was accused of diverting funds from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program and using them build a state-of-the-art volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi — the same institution his own daughter played collegiate volleyball at. Talk about a sad fall from grace.
Unfortunately, shortly after, squeaky clean Ben was also dragged into the mess when it was revealed that he sort of, kind of helped Favre in his quest for custom lockers for the new fancy schmancy volleyball facility. Investigative journalist Anna Wolfe tweeted that it was Ben who “assisted with” the construction of said lockers. Ben’s wife, Erin Napier, quickly set the record straight in a since-deleted tweet (via EntertainmentNow) clarifying that Ben did not build the lockers. According to Erin, her famous husband merely “offered a recommendation for a cabinet maker” the couple worked with. Phew.
