The Real Reasons We're Worried About Ex-HGTV Star Joanna Gaines

One look at Joanna Gaines' carefully curated Instagram grid might convince fans that she has it made in the shade of one of her beloved magnolia trees. However, the former HGTV star's life isn't as picture-perfect as the bucolic imagery scattered on her page; she's even made comments about how social media stresses her out. 

In a 2019 Magnolia Journal issue, Gaines recalled how gaining a large social media following gave her something new to fret over. It's never a good idea to read the comments, but it seems that she was doing exactly that and obsessing over the critical messages. "I could feel insecurity start to creep in, and posting a photo was no longer an act of enjoying the in-the-moments of life but rather a more calculated decision," she wrote. "With every picture I found myself critiquing if there were messy backgrounds or blurry smiles." As careful as she was, Gaines couldn't avoid being mom-shamed over a photo.

Gaines is a perfectionist who runs a multi-million dollar lifestyle brand, so if she puts that much thought into what she posts on her Insta, just think of how much she must stress out over the countless business decisions she has to make to keep everything running smoothly. She has customers, viewers, and employees to keep happy, as well as an image to uphold. Some thoughts she has shared about how she spends her time might make her fans worry that it's all becoming too much for her. "There are days when I feel like I'm living in a held breath. Days when I wonder whether my minutes and hours really reflect the things I value most," she revealed in a 2024 Magnolia Journal issue. Her solution may cause fans even more concern.

Joanna Gaines sells her fans items with rustic charm, such as textured ceramic bowls with tiny cracks and wooden bookends that look like they could be antiques. But while imperfections are what make some of her Magnolia products desirable, she has a habit of trying to eliminate them elsewhere. "I'm a fixer, a refiner," she wrote in Magnolia Journal. According to Joanna, she also performs an occasional introspective examination to see what she can discover about herself that requires a little fine-tuning. In doing this, she came to the conclusion that she needs to take a step back from her business. "I'm forcing myself to pause, purposefully, for the next little while. For me, it begins with pulling back in some areas at the office. Because, the truth is, I love to work," she shared.

After they mourned Gaines' "Fixer Upper" exit, the last thing fans want to hear is that she needs another break from work — it could start with spending less time micromanaging Magnolia Market and end with announcement that she's quitting her show again.

In a 2022 Magnolia Journal essay, Gaines opened up about falling into a rut after giving in to her workaholic tendencies. "I had to figure out what it was that would pull me out of the grind," she wrote. For her, a break from the grind involved more work: She discovered that gardening is what gave her peace. Maybe her next business venture should be a day spa that she spends months testing before it opens to the public.