What These HGTV Stars Will Look Like In 40 Years

Launched in 1994, HGTV's brand of easy-to-digest television has turned the network into a pop culture phenomenon and transformed a number of its hosts into stars. It took the network a little more than two decades to become the third most-watched cable service in America, overtaking CNN in 2016. At the time of this writing, HGTV (Home & Garden Television) trails only Fox News and ESPN in terms of viewing figures. In 2017, parent company Scripps Networks Interactive sold HGTV to Discovery as part of a deal worth a whopping $11.9 billion. These figures are mighty impressive, but what is it that makes HGTV shows so darn addictive?

"The relentlessly pleasant programming is a comfort, especially in hard times," The Denver Post once said of HGTV, and that still holds true today. We all know how easy it is to get sucked into shows such as Fixer Upper, Flip or Flop and Love It or List It (viewers in HGTV's target demographic watch for an average of two hours and 14 minutes per sitting, according to Pacific Standard), but the truth is, none of those shows would be the same without their famous hosts. Many have been with the network for a number of years, but will they still be fixing and flipping and listing when they're old and gray? According to online facial manipulation technology, via FaceApp, this is what they're going to look like in 40 years time. It will blow your mind.

Tarek El Moussa and his ex-wife, Christina Anstead, still work together on Flip or Flop, which has spawned a number of spin-offs. El Moussa has had it rough these past few years — prior to his divorce he fought and beat cancer, twice. He might not be here today had an observant Flip or Flop viewer not noticed a large nodule on his thyroid and emailed in with her concerns. "I knew that if a nurse took the time, energy and effort to send an email from Texas to mention my neck, there was probably something wrong," El Moussa said (via People). Thankfully, he's now cancer-free and will hopefully still be an HGTV fixture in 40 years time.

She rose to fame as Christina El Moussa, but this HGTV star now goes by Christina Anstead. The Anaheim-born real estate agent and her former husband, Tarek El Moussa, started flipping houses after the housing bubble burst in 2008. They knew they were onto something, and after emailing a production company with a proposal, HGTV picked them up for a pilot, and Flip or Flop was born. Christina married English TV presenter Ant Anstead in 2018, and she soon got pregnant with her third child at age 35. "The first trimester was brutal," she admitted in an Instagram post. "Maybe it's my age... but yikes it really [blindsided] me." She's now the star of her own HGTV show, Christina on the Coast.

Energetic designer David Bromstad has been an HGTV regular since winning the first season of Design Star in 2006, appearing on several of the network's shows over the years. "I jumped from a competition show, to hosting it, then hosting other shows and then mentoring people," he told Rage Monthly. "It's been pretty amazing." Bromstad was actually about to move on from HGTV when the network offered him the chance to host My Lottery Dream Home, on which he advises lottery winners on real estate. He once told AOL that he is "the grandaddy" of HGTV, and thanks to FaceApp's age filter, we now know what the real grandaddy Bromstad could look like. Two words: silver fox.

Jillian Harris was second runner-up on Season 13 of The Bachelor and became The Bachelorette for the show's fifth season, gifting her final rose to Ed Swiderski. Sadly, their relationship ended in 2010, when she discovered that he had been cheating on her. It was a "devastating" experience for Harris, but she didn't let the ordeal turn her off the idea of TV work. The Canadian beauty went on to land gigs on Love It or List It Vancouver, Canada's Handyman Challenge, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Her "city-meets-country design style" made her a hit with HGTV viewers. Now a mother-of-two, Harris couldn't be happier. "It's so hard when you're going through a tough time, you just want to punch people when they say things are going to work out," she told People. "But they really do!"

Scott McGillivray is "North America's go-to expert when it comes to all things real estate," according to HGTV. This contractor-turned-TV personality has fronted a number of shows for the network, most recently Buyers Bootcamp with Scott McGillivray. His schedule keeps him super busy, but he's come to realize that he needs to slow down and enjoy life a little more now that he's in his forties. "I've found that as I've gotten older and started a family it's been tougher to find time to get together with my friends," he said. "When you work and travel as much as I do it can be tough."

In 2012, Hidden Potential host Jasmine Roth quit her corporate job to concentrate on two properties in Huntington Beach, Calif. She and her husband, Brett, wanted to dedicate more time to the houses — one was for them; the other was an investment property. She was able to fine-tune the skills that would ultimately make her an HGTV star, but in truth, this learning curve began in childhood. "I grew up in Virginia, and my dad had a general knowledge of carpentry," Roth said. "When you live in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself building stuff because there's nothing else to do. I grew up building treehouses, really cool playhouses, beautiful sheds, making furniture and that kind of stuff with my dad in the garage."

Breakups are never easy, but HGTV star Orlando Soria took the collapse of his relationship extra hard. "My heart was ripped out of my chest, put into a blender, mixed with battery acid, and then put back into my chest," he told Vogue. He channeled his heartache into decorating his new property, and when he realized that the process was helping him cope, he hatched an idea for a new show. As the host of HGTV hit Unspouse My House, Soria (who has built up a dedicated following on Instagram in recent years) helps newly-single homeowners renovate and start over. "When your house is not settled, it's very hard to feel settled yourself," he said.

Before she became the co-host of long-running home design show Love It or List It, renovator Hilary Farr dabbled in acting. She took up theater after a growth spurt meant that she had to put her dreams of becoming a ballet dancer to bed, and she later landed a minor, non-speaking part in camp classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. "It came about because we lived — as a family — right below Tim Curry [a.k.a Dr. Frank-N-Furter himself]," she told PopSugar. The HGTV stalwart is now in her mid-sixties but shows no signs of slowing down. What's her secret? "Deep breathing," she told The Balance Careers. "I'm addicted to it. It relaxes me and allows me to shut down so that I can have restful sleep."

Hilary Farr's Love It or List It co-host is more than a decade younger, yet people often mistake her and real estate agent David Visentin for a couple. The pair's chemistry is part of what makes the show so addictive to viewers, who love to chat if they spy the duo in public. "I think HGTV hosts are more approachable than other types of people on television," Visentin said (via PopSugar). "I think people feel like you're their friend. They kind of feel like they know you." He might be in his mid-50s, but chances are Visentin will still be kicking around in 40 years time — he has good genes. "My dad is very athletic and still plays soccer at the age of 79," he said (via The List). "I grew up knowing the value of taking care of myself physically to do the things I love to do."

Egypt Sherrod has been an HGTV star for well more than a decade now. She landed a job on Property Virgins in 2007 — shifting from dedicated fan to reality TV insider. "I've always been an HGTV fanatic," she told Madame Noire. "As a licensed real estate agent and someone who genuinely has a passion for the industry I was truly drawn to watching Property Virgins, even with its former host." She went on to host Flipping Virgins, which she also executive produces. It's a high-pressure job that takes up lots of precious time, but this self-described "mompreneur" doesn't let the haters dictate her life. "I am conscious of my weight and my appearance, because I want to feel healthy and look good," she told Hello Beautiful. "However, I refuse to allow anyone to stress me out about vanity."

Unlike most home renovation hosts, actress Jennie Garth, best known for her starring role on Beverly Hills, 90210, worked on her own home during her stint on HGTV. She was newly divorced during the filming of The Jennie Garth Project, in which she renovated her ranch-style family house. "I wasn't making a show, I was doing my life," she told Entertainment Tonight. "You know, I was building the house for my girls and myself and somebody was just filming me." Add a huge renovation project to a divorce and you're bound to notice a few wrinkles forming, but Garth has one simple trick to keep herself looking fresh — she cut sugar from her diet. "I think that has been the key to everything," said Garth (via SheKnows). She also swears by avocados.

Interior designer Genevieve Gorder rose to fame on TLC's Trading Spaces – the show that's often credited as the catalyst for home renovation TV. She's appeared on more than 20 different TV shows in her career to date, some more successful than others. To date, she's the co-host of Netflix's Stay Here (dubbed a "cringe-worthy twist on the home renovation show" by City Lab), but she's still best known for her time on HGTV hosting Genevieve's Renovation, Dear Genevieve and serving as a judge on Design Star. Hers is a fast-paced life (she lives in New York with her daughter), so Gorder knows how important it is to look after oneself. "I'm gluten free; I'm dairy free," she told Better. "I'm not obsessive about food at all, but I've really made peace with what works and what doesn't work."

Lara Spencer is still best-known as a host on Good Morning America, even though her hours on the ABC show have been reduced. She was reportedly furious at her role being cut, though sources close to the situation claim it was a long time coming. According to a Fox News insider, Spencer can be difficult to work with and "screams at her producers daily." She's now free to spend more time on her HGTV show, Flea Market Flip. Spencer celebrated her 50th birthday in 2019, but she's clearly not planning to slow down anytime soon. The TV host has abs for days and is an avid runner. It was her high levels of fitness, not her age, that led to a hip replacement surgery back in 2016. "Being athletic exacerbated it," she told People. "But this isn't an old person's problem, it's an active person's problem."

Albuquerque native Chip Gaines hosted home improvement show Fixer Upper from 2013 through its final episode in 2018. The show turned Chip and his wife, Joanna Gaines, into household names, but it wasn't always as fun as they made it look, especially toward the end. "The more staged something becomes, or the more required something becomes, it boxes me up, and I felt like toward the end of the Fixer Upper journey, I felt caged, trapped," he told Cowboys & Indians magazine. The married couple decided to concentrate on building its very own multimedia platform, which would include a TV network.

Joanna Gaines has never really looked her age, and now the former Fixer Upper host has revealed the secret of staying young — having children. "If you ever want to feel young again, have a baby at 40," she told People. "It's brought this whole new thing for me where I'm a lot more laid-back." She and her husband, Chip Gaines, welcomed their fifth child in 2018. The curious couple have already used the FaceApp age filter on baby son Crew with hilarious results. The chirpy TV personality has apparently developed an addiction to the app, much to the horror of her kids. "We are having fun scaring the children," she said.