What Christina Hall And Heather El Moussa's Relationship Is Really Like

When Christina Hall shot to fame, it was alongside "Flip or Flop" co-star and husband since 2009, Tarek El Moussa. The couple split in 2016, seven months after a messy situation involving police and a gun. El Moussa started dating his future wife, "Selling Sunset" star Heather Rae Young, three years later, and it was not long before they started living together. Heather — who goes by El Moussa after marrying in 2021 — became close with Tarek's kids early in their courtship, which meant that she had to develop a relationship with their mother. For a while, all signs pointed to the women having a friendly — or at least cordial — relationship.

Reports of tension emerged in 2022, first between Tarek and his ex-wife, and later between Heather and Christina. A medical event with one of the couple's children brought everyone back onto the same page, but fans have remained fascinated by the family dynamics. In 2024, Christina and her hubby since 2022, Joshua Hall, and Tarek and Heather began posting lighthearted TikTok videos alluding to a very different kind of relationship.

Around the same time in 2024, the El Moussas and the Halls announced a TV series that would feature both couples going head-to-head in competing renovations. The joint project appears to have made Heather and Christina closer than ever before after years of ups and downs. Here is a look at what Christina Hall and Heather El Moussa's relationship is really like.

Christina Hall and Heather El Moussa were able to find some commonalities beyond Tarek, as they have similar mindsets when it comes to healthy living. Hall has long spoken of eating an organic diet and being a fan of smoothies. Fans of "Flip or Flop" may recall one hilarious episode where she attempted to get Tarek El Moussa to down a turmeric and ginger shot. "Oh god, that's just so terrible," he remarked afterward in the clip. Hall is so into nutrition and clean eating that she co-authored a book on the topic in 2020, entitled "The Wellness Remodel: A Guide to Rebooting How You Eat, Move, and Feed Your Soul."

Since Heather El Moussa is also health-conscious, the pair was able to use this common ground to establish a relationship. Heather has been a vegan since she was 22, and she is as committed to nutrient-rich, healthy snacking as she is plant-based meals. During the COVID-19 quarantine, the women began texting about healthy recipes and snack ideas for themselves and the kids. "She'll, like, send me whatever her, like, favorite go-to granola bar is, and I'll text her back, like, whatever mine is," Hall shared with Us Weekly. "We'll share, like, margarita recipes with each other like a skinny watermelon, so yeah, it's nice."

"Flip or Flop" — which has had its share of behind-the-scenes drama – made its debut on HGTV in 2013, launching young couple Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall to fame. The show's success led to multiple "Flip or Flop" spinoffs in other cities, but none had the same magic as the original Orange County-based version.

Much of "Flip or Flop's" appeal came from the married couple's dynamic at the center of the show, so when El Moussa and Hall split in 2016, most people assumed the series was a goner. But "Flip or Flop" continued after the couple separated and even after their divorce was finalized. "We do our best to be as professional as possible but every now and then we have to jab at each other — sometimes more serious than others," Tarek admitted on "Daily Pop" in 2018.

While some people might have an issue with their partner continuing to work closely with an ex, Heather El Moussa — who was a cast member on Netflix's "Selling Sunset" when she entered the picture in 2019 — was fully supportive of "Flip or Flop" from the get-go. "I'm a really confident person and I'm confident in our relationship, and I think what he does and everything he has going on is so amazing," she said in an interview with Radar Online. "Flip or Flop" ultimately ended in 2022, by which time both of its stars had spinoffs on the air.

When Heather El Moussa began dating Tarek El Moussa in 2019, she had no kids of her own at the time. But that did not stop her from quickly bonding with Tarek's children with Christina Hall – daughter Taylor, then 8, and son Brayden, then 3. Heather and Tarek became an official couple in August 2019, and they were already posting family Christmas photos with the kids that December. The family photos continued, especially once the pair moved in together in early 2020.

Heather realized she needed to establish a regular line of dialogue with Hall after she and Tarek began cohabitating. "I really put myself in other people's shoes. I'm around the kids every day. Tarek and I live together ... so it's only natural for me as a woman to want to reach out to her as their mom and be like, 'Hey, I'm with your kids. Do you have any tips? Can you help me? I'm new at this. Like, I don't know what I'm doing,'" Heather told "Daily Pop" in May 2020. "I was the first girl that he openly dated and introduced to his children since the divorce. I really think about, 'How would she feel as their mother, and a new girl is living with the kids?' It's only natural for me."

There are many challenges to adding new parents and/or kids to a family dynamic, and being a public figure only amplifies some of these issues. Even though she has been in the picture for years, Heather El Moussa still gets critiqued heavily on social media for her step-parenting.

El Moussa has admitted that she at first felt insecure about her role in the family, as navigating her new relationship was anything but simple. "I'm a very happy, positive person, but I felt like I was always second," El Moussa explained on Today. "No one ever made me feel that way, but I think when your significant other had such a long relationship with the previous spouse and a lot of love, and it was a very public divorce and you're coming into it. And you fall in love with each other, but you always kind of think of the ex. For me, I did."

The "Selling Sunset" star emphasized how being in a very public relationship dynamic exasperated these feelings, but eventually, her focus on their blended family helped her to work through it all. "Any drama aside, the kids are the most important thing to all of us," she continued.

Although Heather and Tarek El Moussa didn't marry until October 2021, the couple was referring to Heather as a "bonus mom" well before that. Christina Hall appears to have also thought of Heather that way as well, as she gifted the Selling Sunset star a bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day 2021. Heather posted the flowers and card — which credited the gift to Hall and both of her children — to her Instagram story, along with a thank you tagging Hall.

"Over the past couple of years of being a bonus mom, I've had the most special experience of being in Tay and Bray's lives, watching them grow up, putting them first, being there for them no matter what, and bonding with them on a whole new level," she wrote at the time (via WHAS 11). "It's the biggest blessing in my life and even though I never knew I wanted or needed it, now that I have two amazing kids in my life I can't imagine my life without them."

Heather also sent Hall flowers for the occasion, much like she did the previous year (while the card was signed "Tay and Bray," Hall publicly thanked Heather on Instagram). Hall had the kids all to herself that Mother's Day, but it was the year before that had extra significance. She and ex-husband Ant Anstead welcomed son Hudson in September 2019, making Mother's Day 2020 her first as a mom of three.

Heather El Moussa bonded with her partner Tarek's children, Taylor and Brayden, quickly — and pretty publicly, since the family loves a good photo op. She appears to be especially close with her stepdaughter, posting loving tributes and pictures of the two celebrating holidays and getting facials together. Per their custody agreement, Taylor and Brayden spend an equal amount of time in both households, which requires ongoing communication. Heather established a texting relationship with Christina Hall early on in order to ensure that their kids' lives were consistent as they shuffled between both homes, and that every parent was in the loop about school, activities, and everything in between.

Despite some very public ups-and-downs, the lines of communication have always been open when it comes to the children. In September 2021, Heather said that she and Hall texted daily, albeit only about the children. By the end of 2022, the blended family had established a healthy co-parenting routine. "Fortunately, Christina has been incredible to stepparent with," Heather told ET in 2022, when she was pregnant with son Tristan (born in January 2023). "We communicate well. The kids are number one to us, that's the most important thing. It's been four years and I think we're in the best place we've ever been."

Given their 50/50 custody, Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall have had to remain in close contact since their split. Once Heather El Moussa entered the picture, most of the communication began occurring between Heather and her husband's ex-wife. But even though they chat daily, the family is not exactly hanging out in their free time. "We keep it separate, and we really focus on our house and raising the kids how we want to at our house and healthy habits here. And so, we just really focus on our household," Heather explained to In Touch in 2021. "But obviously, we communicate for the children. Her and I mainly do. And you know, obviously, we're raising kids, and they're half the time over there, half the time with us. So, we do communicate for the children."

Tarek has also chimed in about the family's approach to co-parenting involving a separation between households. "[Heather and I] have certain things we do at our household, and I know [Christina] focuses on her household and there's certain things she does at her household," he denoted to Us Weekly. "We try to be on the same page as often as possible, but they're different households." Perhaps these kinds of boundaries help their family dynamic function, as there have been times where the exes weren't exactly on the "same page."

Things have not been all sparkles and roses for the El Moussa/Hall family. Tabloids had a field day when it was reported that Tarek El Moussa blew up at Christina Hall on the set of "Flip or Flop," calling her a "washed-up loser" (via TMZ) and comparing her to his new partner. The family minimized the fight, but trouble reared its head again when Heather El Moussa and Hall got into a heated public argument the following year.

The Daily Mail published photos of the May 2022 fight, taken at son Brayden's soccer game, wherein Heather is shown having to be pulled away from Christina by the arm. Tarek was also shown in a verbal dispute with Christina's current husband, Josh Hall, which had to be broken up by Brayden's soccer coach. While it has never been disclosed what the soccer game fight was about, some have suggested it may have been related to Tarek's previous comments comparing Christina and Heather. 

The fight happened only one day after a Selling Sunset reunion — where Heather was asked about being referred to as a "hotter, richer" version of Christina — dropped on Netflix. Heather responded, "I mean...," a few times, which could have been taken as an additional affront. "A personal matter was discussed and has since been resolved," said a joint statement released to People soon after news of the blow up became public. "We are focused on co-parenting as a team moving forward."

The public may have expected Tarek and Heather El Moussa to keep their distance from Christina and Josh Hall after their soccer game fight in May 2022, but a scary situation turned into a blessing in disguise when their son, Brayden, needed emergency surgery one day after the fight, bringing all parties together.

"Scary 12 hours for us parents + step parents," Christina wrote on Instagram. "After being admitted to the ER, Brayden had to have an emergency appendectomy as well as removal of Meckel's diverticulum early this morning. Nothing like seeing your child in excruciating pain." Tarek acknowledged how the family came together in his own Instagram post, saying, "Very scary day, but we all banned together as a family to get through it."

The appendectomy appears to have reminded everyone what was really important: the kids. Days after Brayden's surgery, both Christina and Heather posted photos from an event at daughter Taylor's new school, featuring all four parents with large smiles on their faces. "We are all under pressure but when it really matters we were all there for Brayden doing our part," Christina wrote in an Instagram story while Brayden was recovering in the hospital (via People). "Sometimes a scary situation can be a good wake up call. In the end all the other stuff is just 'noise,' what matters is the kids."

Despite their ups and downs, Christina Hall and Heather El Moussa have never bashed each other in the press. In fact, they have only expressed happiness for one another when big things happen — like when Christina announced her engagement to Josh Hall, after a difficult separation from second husband, Ant Anstead. "Wow, awesome! We just want nothing but happiness for [Christina and Josh] and nothing but happiness for the kids," Heather stated to People. "We're looking forward to the next chapter of everyone's lives." Neither Tarek nor Christina invited their ex to their weddings, but clearly, they have supported each other finding new love.

Both Heather and Tarek El Moussa also congratulated Christina when she landed her own show, "Christina on the Coast," in 2022, but the subject that has gotten the most attention is new family additions. Christina and Heather have both had babies in recent years, and people were especially curious about how Christina handled Heather's baby news given reports of past tension.

"Christina is happy for Tarek and Heather. As long as Tarek and her are peacefully coparenting, she is content," an anonymous source told ET, after Heather and Tarek announced their pregnancy in July 2022. This sentiment was affirmed by Heather and Tarek themselves, who noted that Christina congratulated them on son Tristan's January 2023 birth.

People on social media had a lot to say when Tarek El Moussa first began dating Heather El Moussa, then known as Heather Rae Young. Much of the discourse surrounded how similar Heather was to Tarek's first wife, Christina Hall, zeroing in on everything from their voices to their careers. Most of all, people commented upon the stark physical resemblance between the women — something that seemed to annoy Heather at first. "How would I be 'trying to look like someone?' Last time I checked I've looked like this my whole life," Heather clapped back in a December 2019 Instagram story (via People). "Yes that's my ultimate goal & I even rushed to a doctor to change my whole appearance!!!"

Cut to a handful of years later, and Heather, Tarek, and Christina have all embraced the similarity between the women. They have even poked fun at their look-a-like status in a number of videos. "People have compared her and me ever since I came into Tarek's life. And I get it — we have similar hair, and a similar look. So we were like, 'Let's be twins and wear the exact same thing," Heather told Today.com. The first video, posted by the three on May 14, 2024, has the women dressed in near-identical black tops and ripped jeans, and jokingly introducing themselves using the other's name. Two weeks later, they posted a skit where Tarek pretends to mistake his ex-wife for his current one, who then slaps him across the face.

It's obvious that at least part of the reason Christina Hall and Heather El Moussa have been so chummy is because they have signed on to work together in a new series. This gives them little choice but to be on good terms, and it explains why they are all of a sudden posting TikTok videos together. Still, after their past tension, it's nice to know the two are bonding no matter the reason.

Heather told Today.com that the project has brought the two further together because they have been busy texting ideas back and forth. Her relationship with Christina has gotten so good that they even had their first-ever solo dinner date this year. "We talked about the show and our kids and life," she explained to Today.com, while also noting that the pair is "having fun together."

That sense of fun appears to have extended to their husbands as well, as Tarek El Moussa and Josh Hall have also been making videos together. Both guys are involved in the new project, a series called "The Flip Off," that was unveiled at Warner Bros. Discovery's upfronts in May 2024. The competition series will pit Tarek and Heather against Christina and Josh to — according to the press release – "see who can find, buy, renovate, and flip a house for the biggest financial gain, and the chance at bragging rights."