Red Flags In HGTV Stars Tarek & Heather Rae El Moussa's Marriage

The following article includes mentions of sexual assault and verbal abuse.

When Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa first got together, their relationship seemed like a real-estate match made in heaven. After all, they both work in the same industry and are reality television stars. Although they lived in the same area, Tarek and Heather didn't meet until 2019 through a mutual friend, and their first conversation should have raised red flags for the "Selling Sunset" star. 

On the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast, Heather revealed that Tarek had DMed her a few months prior, but he didn't recognize her upon seeing her in person. At the time of the message, Heather was with her then-boyfriend so she had declined Tarek's advances. When she later met him at a party on his boat — where she was hanging out with a friend — she was single. After some hesitation, she decided to give Tarek a chance. He asked her out on a date and the two have been together since.

Fans have watched Tarek and Heather display their very public relationship on "The Flipping El Moussas" and "Selling Sunset," but not everything seems rosy. While the couple often portrays their relationship as picture-perfect, there are definitely strange things about Tarek and Heather's relationship that show several flipping red flags in their marriage.

Before "The Flipping El Moussas," Tarek El Moussa starred on "Flip or Flop" with his then-wife Christina Hall. While they presented themselves as a happily married couple on-screen, things were reportedly dark behind the scenes. As told by Life & Style, a source revealed that El Moussa would repeatedly joke about raping Hall while on set. Things got so bad that the crew made sure to keep the show's filming going smoothly so as not to give the former couple too much free time together. "Tarek found humor in insulting his wife in repeated verbal attacks. Some of his bad behavior was even caught on camera," the insider shared.

Another source told In Touch that El Moussa often berated Hall in front of the crew when she made a mistake that resulted in a scene needing to be reshot. The unnamed person also stated, "Once on set, Tarek went up to her and squeezed her breasts. He grabbed her butt all the time. She either did nothing or said, 'Get away from me.'" El Moussa and Hall split up in 2016, finalizing their divorce two years later. They continued to star on "Flip or Flop" together until the show ended in 2022.

If you or anyone you know is dealing with domestic abuse or has been a victim of sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below:

• The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website. 

• The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Fans of "Selling Sunset" gave Heather Rae El Moussa a big dose of side-eye when she revealed a new booty tattoo, and it wasn't because of its cheeky location. On Instagram, the reality star shared a close-up of the ink, which read, "Yes sir, Mr. El Moussa." While it's nice to want your partner's name etched on your skin forever, the message made it seem like Tarek El Moussa was her boss, rather than her fiance. The tattoo post caused such a stir that Heather ended up deleting it. She later explained to E! News that the phrase was a term of endearment and stated, "I will be Mrs. El Moussa, so this is my name. And it is a special thing that we do around the house: Daddy is the boss, I'm the queen of the house. We do it with the kids." She continued, "He says, 'Yes ma'am, Mrs. El Moussa.' It's something cute we do around the house."

Viewers of "The Flipping El Moussas" also noted Tarek's domineering personality. A Redditor stated in a 2023 post, "I think Tarek is a [narcissistic] severe type — there's an episode with Heather saying you were wrong and his eyes change and he flips the dialogue where you can clearly see the trait. He is abusive and controlling, but I think Heather thrives on him having control as he also gives her the life she couldn't have without him."

It appears that Tarek El Moussa has a type. After divorcing Christina Hall, he moved on with Heather Rae El Moussa, who looks eerily like his ex. Admittedly, there are a lot of slim blond women with brown eyes in Los Angeles, but Hall and Heather's resemblance is uncanny, which fans were quick to notice. One asked in an Instagram Q&A with Heather (via People), "Are you trying to look like Christina?" The realtor responded, "How would I be 'trying to look like someone? Last time I checked I've looked like this my whole life." She sarcastically added, "Yes that's my ultimate goal and I even rushed to a doctor to change my whole appearance!!!"

At least Heather has a sense of humor about it. In a TikTok video, she even poked fun at herself about being Christina's twin. As Tarek ordered a couple of chai lattes at a cafe, Heather went to grab two seats for them. When he approached a blond woman dressed in the same outfit as his wife, she turned around only to reveal that it was none other than Christina. "Excuse me?" Heather said in mock anger as she delivered a slap across Tarek's face. "Well, I guess it is confusing!" he admitted. Although the three were in on the joke, a fan replied, "It's weird how much they look alike."

After meeting in July 2019, Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa had no hesitation in jumping right into their relationship. In fact, the "Flipping 101" star didn't even have any qualms about introducing his new girlfriend to his family just a month later. "She is just so adorable ... we're having a blast. I introduced her to my kids last night for the first time. My mom, my dad, my mom's husband, my sister. So, we're doing it! Very excited," he told ET. One person who was probably not so excited about the new development was his ex-wife Christina Hall, who had no idea Tarek was dating Heather at the time, much less that he had introduced her to their kids. "I haven't talked to her about Heather yet. So, that's probably a talk I should probably have pretty soon. Like, probably today, considering I'm talking about her on TV now. She'll probably find out I think? Yeah, I think I'll give her a call," he mused.

As if that wasn't cause for concern, Tarek revealed in a January 2021 Instagram post just how fast he and Heather moved with their relationship. "Yesterday was our 18 month anniversary and I love this girl more and more by the day! I came home with [Heather] after 4 days of dating, she moved in, and we never looked back," he shared. 

Talk of Tarek El Moussa's temper toward his ex-wife Christina Hall has been in the headlines many times, and there was another reported blow-up that went down on the "Flip or Flop" set in 2021, per TMZ. A source revealed that Tarek lost it after Hall gestured to him that filming was about to begin and began screaming at her in front of the crew. Apparently, Tarek told Hall that his girlfriend at the time, Heather Rae El Moussa, neé Young, was better than her and yelled, "Look at me, look at me, look at me. It's called winning."

After the alleged meltdown was made public, Heather shared with Us Weekly, "People have to remember they're coworkers and they are exes. There's going to be little frustrations here and there." The rant hardly sounded "little" and we have a feeling Hall didn't view Tarek's outburst like that as well.