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Nicole Curtis rose to fame as the host of “Rehab Addict,” a home restoration show that premiered on HGTV in 2010. Over the years, Curtis captured the hearts of fans as she and her team tackled everything from untidy bathrooms to rotting hallways, turning them into interior design marvels. As a testament to Curtis’ expertise, she led by example and lived in a home she rehabilitated.
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Curtis took a break from “Rehab Addict” after the show’s eighth season and began a new series, “Rehab Addict Rescue.” She eventually took a sabbatical from television altogether and when she decided to make a comeback, she revealed her three-year hiatus was due to an unfortunate life event. “I had a setback in my life that just rocked me to the core, and it was one of those moments where I thought, how do I get through this one?” Curtis shared in an interview with People. “I prayed on it and it was just devastating for me. I had to make a decision right there and then like, ‘Okay, we’re going to let this affect us for a very long time, or we’re going to pick it up and go.'”
Curtis returned as the go-to DIY host of Season 9 of “Rehab Addict” in June 2025, and although she chose to stay mum about the nature of the setback she faced, it only scratches the surface on sad details about the real estate entrepreneur’s life.
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Nicole Curtis was devastated when she failed to land her dream job
Long before she made a name for herself in real estate, Nicole Curtis was an enthusiastic entrepreneur who owned a cleaning business. It was a trade Curtis established amid a ton of criticism, as she shared in a reflective Instagram post in December 2024. “I remember when I first saw my company name and logo on my car in 1998. Mrs. Clean & Co.,” Curtis wrote. “Some laughed that I was so proud [that] I ‘just’ cleaned houses.”
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Curtis’ business grew to be successful, as she revealed in a TEDx talk. She made enough money to purchase her first home, a bungalow. The venture also provided the funds she needed to earn a degree in early elementary education. However, as the Great Recession came around, Curtis’ life took a different trajectory. Her business was hit hard by the economic decline since most homeowners in Detroit couldn’t afford her services anymore. In fact, some people lost their homes when the market tanked, and even a decade later in 2017, the real estate market in Detroit was still struggling to pick up. Needless to say, Curtis found herself back in the job market.
Curtis moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, for a fresh start, with hopes of landing her dream job on Target’s corporate commercial design team. She secured three interviews with the conglomerate, as she detailed for TEDx. She was crushed when her candidacy was dismissed in a rather ruthless manner, with an H.R. employee telling her she was “just not a good fit.” Curtis explained further, saying, “My heart stopped. I had banked everything on getting this job, like there wasn’t an idea out there of me not having this job. What was I going to do now? And I lost it!”
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She was embroiled in ‘an ugly court adventure’ with an ex-boyfriend over a remodeled Minnesota home
Nicole Curtis’ issues with her ex-boyfriend, Jason Jenny, date back to 2009 when the duo reportedly purchased a Minnesota home christened “the Minnehaha house.” The pair renovated the house in a process that was documented on Season 1 of “Rehab Addict.” When the house went up for sale, Jenny snagged it for nearly double the cost of its purchase. Per Curtis’ account, the property’s ownership was supposed to be joint, but she was left out of the final deal.
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Following the couple’s fallout, Curtis addressed the feud in a Facebook post, writing in part, “Oh, that Minnehaha house. … Does it ever stop being an emotional story for me??? Never. It’s an ugly court adventure, but I still love her more than ever.” Curtis continued, writing, “Don’t ask [because] you know I can’t tell — but just know that the mistakes I made have made me stronger than ever.”
In court, Curtis claimed that an offer to buy the house was sabotaged by Jenny. She accused Jenny of several offenses, including acting in bad faith and defamation, while Jenny countered her lawsuit with claims of slander of title. The case was ultimately dismissed, but Curtis documented the fallout in her book, “Better than New: Lessons I’ve Learned from Saving Old Homes (and how They Saved Me).” Speaking to Cape Cod Times about the entire fiasco, Curtis said it “wasn’t a healthy place for me, but I didn’t know it at the time.”
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She was the victim of theft in 2015
In 2015, Nicole Curtis was the victim of an alleged carjacking, the details of which she shared in a since-deleted Facebook post. In her post, Curtis said she was heavily impacted by the traumatic event, and she hoped to one day cross paths with her assailant and say a prayer for him (via USA Today). However, Curtis’ version of events appeared to contradict the story told by law authorities, as the Detroit Free Press reported.
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The police claimed that the incident was a case of theft, not carjacking. According to the police, Curtis was helping a child get into a parked car when a robber snatched her purse and ran away. Later, Curtis took to Facebook to set the record straight. In her second post, she recalled the sequence of events that occurred in the presence of her family.
“A black SUV was parked running in front of our vehicle when we approached our car,” Curtis narrated. “As we were loading into the car, one of the passengers jumped out of the black suv, jumped INTO my driver’s seat — went for keys (they were with me outside passenger side) they then grabbed my large work bag NOT purse from where they were sitting in my car.” Curtis attributed the difference in stories to “the news [deciding] to run their own version.”
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She and her ex-boyfriend, Shane Maguire, fought for legal custody of their son
Nicole Curtis and her ex-boyfriend, Shane Maguire, had an on-again, off-again relationship, and just when their romance had finally come to an end, Curtis learned that she was expecting. The duo welcomed a son named Harper in May 2015. Following her breakup with Macguire, Curtis dated Ryan Sawtelle, an actor and philanthropist. There was no love lost between the exes. Toward the end of 2015, Maguire took Curtis to court to establish the paternity of their child and also seek joint custody in the event that the results were positive. Although DNA results proved that Maguire was the father, he and Curtis still had a messy custody battle that continued for another three years.
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Amid the legal battle, the duo kept butting heads publicly and privately. In February 2017, Curtis took to Instagram to make claims that Maguire shamed her for breastfeeding in the open. The following year, Maguire alleged through court filings that his co-parenting experience with Curtis had “proven to be a nightmare,” as The Blast reported (via People). Maguire claimed that “things have deteriorated between [the parents] to the detriment of Harper,” and he was subsequently seeking sole custody of their son.
The pair was reported to finally have found common ground in October 2018. In a joint custody agreement, Curtis and Maguire were both made responsible for their son’s welfare. Nevertheless, Curtis’ joy after finally burying the hatchet was short-lived. The exes’ feud continued well into Thanksgiving 2018, during which Curtis alleged that Harper was “ripped out of [her] arms and whisked away,” according to an interview with People. “The cycle never ends,” she added.
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Nicole Curtis was heartbroken by the passing of her grandmother
Nicole Curtis had an endearing relationship with her grandmother, who was a big presence in her life growing up. When she died shortly after celebrating her 70th wedding anniversary in 2016, a heavyhearted Curtis took to Facebook to share the sad news. “My Gram passed away. There’s nothing that will numb this,” Curtis wrote. “I will never match her accomplishments, her grace, her heart. Please pray for my Gramps, 70 years he had with her.”
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The passing of Curtis’ grandmother brought her closer to her grandfather, whom she cared for just as she did her children. The duo even made plans on how they would talk to each other in the afterlife, but they did not forget to cherish every moment of fun in real life. In a 2018 post on Instagram, Curtis, who was on vacation in Florida, shared that she and the children were having a good time playing in the sand, flying kites, and spending time with her grandfather.
Sadly, Curtis’ grandfather, who also built houses for a living, died shortly after he turned 93. Curtis continues to honor her grandparents’ memory by having pictures of them mounted inside her renovated houses, which are rented on Airbnb. She shared one such picture on Instagram with the caption, “Good Friday, my grandparents watching over me. We never advertise my houses on Airbnb as mine, but these giant pics of my grandparents tend to give it away:)”
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She was estranged from her parents after a contentious court battle
Celebrities and their parents don’t always see eye to eye. Stars like Amanda Bynes have had strained relationships with their parents for years, and Nicole Curtis is not exempt. However, her relationship with her parents hasn’t always been sour. In a June 2014 post on Facebook, the “Rehab Addict” star shared an adorable throwback picture of herself, her brother, and her dad, and reminisced over the past in her caption: “My dad is rocking sideburns, mustache and coffee. Happy birthday, dad!” Similarly, in August 2013, she shared a photo of herself posing with her mom and her aunt, both of whom had visited her at work.
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Three years later, Nicole was embroiled in a contentious legal war with her parents. Per reports, the real estate entrepreneur’s mother, Joan Curtis, sought a personal protection order against her for alleged harassment. The pair had reportedly blocked each other after an argument that was said to have stemmed from Nicole’s grandmother’s funeral — Nicole claimed to have single-handedly given her grandmother a befitting send-off upon her passing.
The mother and daughter had a heated exchange in court that saw Nicole being called “mean and nasty” by Joan (via CBS News). Nicole’s father wasn’t spared from the family feud, either, since the television star claimed he had previously threatened to disclose personal information about her to the media. Nicole discussed the sad state of her family affairs in a later chat with Country Living, saying, “Our situation is absolutely horrifying and heartbreaking. I can’t say anymore to that.” In the end, Joan wasn’t granted a restraining order.
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Her Los Angeles neighborhood was evacuated amid the Palisades Fire
The Palisades Fire began at a popular hiking trail in Los Angeles, California, in January 2025 and quickly spread over a 24-day period. The catastrophic widespread fire caused severe damage to several amenities and structures, including schools, restaurants, and homes, prompting several celebrities to share their gut-wrenching reactions. Nicole Curtis happened to be in Detroit when she learned about the sad news, and she later took to Instagram to chronicle the distressing series of events that followed when she and her family decided to return home to Los Angeles.
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“I packed up and we boarded a plane, terrified with a brave mom face and ‘everything’s fine’ response,” Curtis wrote. “Well, that was five hours of craze as 9 [minutes] into my flight, the Hills fire started, school got cancelled and then our neighborhood was evacuated and our street corner was on the news ‘multiple houses on fire'”. Although the fear of the unknown was terrifying, Curtis revealed that she leaned on the assurance and kindness of friends to get by.
“I arrived at LAX bewildered not knowing where to go,” Curtis continued, adding that she and her family eventually made it home safely. Curtis was lucky to keep her home, especially since many celebrities lost their homes to the wildfires. Still, the coast wasn’t clear, and her household was in distress as they prepared for the worst. “We stayed dressed last night, suitcases at door,” Curtis shared, all while spreading hopeful messages to families who’d been affected.
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The television star has regrets about choosing her career over family
Over the years, Nicole Curtis has worked hard to provide for her family. The mother of two prides herself in being able to be successful in a male-dominated field, but make no mistake, she would trade it all in a heartbeat. In a chat with Fox News Digital, Curtis expressed regret over choosing her career over her family. “I was chasing the money,” She told the outlet. “I was chasing that money hard because I wanted a better life for us. And there were moments when — I’ll be honest — when I definitely thought maybe this would have been better if I was still cleaning houses because I did sacrifice quality time with a family in those early years.”
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True to Curtis’ sentiments, the struggles of juggling work and family life can eventually take its toll. Case in point: actor Kevin Costner’s work-life imbalance reportedly pushed his wife to divorce. Similarly, former New England Patriots player Tom Brady’s divorce from model Gisele Bündchen was said to have been a result of the couple’s disagreement over Brady’s retirement.
Taking these into account, it wasn’t surprising when Curtis decided to put her family first. Ahead of the premiere of Season 9 of “Rehab Addict,” Curtis vowed not to compromise on quality time with her boys. The real estate entrepreneur further took measures to launch her own production company so she would be in control of her time. Finally, Curtis’ made changes to her filming approach by protecting her children’s privacy and excluding them from the show.
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