The Tragic Truth About Joanna Gaines

Joanna Gaines would appear to have it all. A professional and personal, if often controversial, relationship with husband Chip Gaines that is impressively still going strong after 20 years. They share five children, including an eldest who's just been accepted into college. Thanks to the success of HGTV shows such as "Fixer Upper," the Wichita native has also been able to help build a Magnolia empire — and one that Meghan Markle has been accused of copying — that includes a lifestyle magazine, home decor range, app, real estate brokerage, and TV network. And let's not forget that she's also published various New York Times best-sellers ranging from cookbooks to children's stories. 

But despite public appearances, not everything in Joanna's life has always been picture perfect. From multiple back surgeries and mental health issues to online scams and goat killings (yes, goat killings), here's a look at eight times the interior designer had to deal with the more tragic side of life. 

Joanna and Chip Gaines may appear to have the ideal marriage, but as the former revealed in the couple's own lifestyle publication Magnolia Journal in 2022, the fixer uppers have had their fair share of ups and downs during their decades together.

In fact, Joanna admitted that on certain occasions, she's resorted to laying down with her face on the floor in an act of surrender. "In our 20 years of marriage, Chip and I have experienced a little bit of all of it," the interior decorator said (via Hello!). "Losing a loved one. Shifts in friendships. Bills we couldn't pay. Moments where our hearts were broken. Times when all hope felt lost and circumstances were out of our control."

Of course, Joanna isn't averse to celebrating her and Chip's happier moments, either. Just a few months later, she gushed to People about the joys of their wedding day, and then in 2023, she revealed that they were happier and more alike than ever. "I would say, as we're getting older, I'm shifting and I'm more like Chip, and Chip is more like me." And her husband concurred, adding, "Jo and I are in this beautiful moment. We're evolving into each other. It's the second part of our marriage."

Joanna Gaines and her husband Chip will still have to wait a while until each and every one of their five children have left home: their fifth child Crew was born as recently as 2018. But that hasn't stopped the interior decorator from already developing a severe case of empty nest syndrome.

Indeed, during a heartfelt piece in the Gaines' own lifestyle publication Magnolia Journal, Joanna revealed that although she was excited for her oldest son Drake's impending college journey, she was heartbroken. "... My first child is moving away, and our family dynamic will change because of it, and that can feel like a loss of its own," she wrote (via Closer Weekly). "I catch glimpses now of what that life will look like and wonder if — or how many times — that might bring me to the floor."

So how did Joanna cope on the day that Drake actually left to further his education while living in an apartment that she'd helped to decorate? Well, she was still a blubbering wreck, but the milestone also helped to take stock of her role as a mother of five. "I think the greatest gift of having a kid go off to college and having a 5-year-old toddler, is kind of that perspective of it's not here forever," she told People. "Don't take it for granted, and cherish these moments."

In 2001, Joanna Gaines had to cancel her second date with future husband Chip Gaines to undergo back surgery, and specifically a procedure named microdiscectomy, to help correct an issue she'd developed as a cheerleader back in high school. Sadly, this wasn't the last time the interior designer had to receive hospital treatment for the injury.

Indeed, more than 20 years later, Joanna had to go under the knife for another microdiscectomy which according to Healthline, is a "minimally invasive surgical procedure" typically performed on patients suffering from a herniated lumbar disc. Alongside a carousel of recovery photos, the former HGTV star revealed the date of the operation didn't exactly help with the ordeal.

"I've always joked that my back likes to act up at the most inconvenient times, and I was a bit stressed because of the timing of it all with the holiday season," Joanna wrote (via USA Today). Still, she was able to take something positive from the situation, namely the chance to put her feet up: "It has been a gift to simply stay put, stare at the wonder all around, and just be still."

Joanna Gaines, and her husband Chip, too, for that matter, have never publicly disclosed their political allegiances. But that hasn't stopped the interior designer from receiving a barrage of online abuse from those who believe she doesn't fall on their side of the spectrum.

"The accusations that get thrown at you, like you're a racist or you don't like people in the LGBTQ community, that's the stuff that really eats my lunch," Joanna told The Hollywood Reporter while discussing their decision to leave "Fixer Upper" in 2021 in the wake of several problematic stories: she and her husband had interviewed an anti-gay pastor on "Fixer Upper," for example, while the pair had also donated $1000 to Chip's sister shortly before she launched a campaign against critical race theory.

A year later, Joanna told Variety that such accusations were still eating her lunch. "Sometimes in that social media bubble, it feels like all is lost and we're screwed," she remarked about the hate she received online. However, on other occasions, the ex-HGTV star believes the gap between both sides can still be bridged: "I really believe in humanity and I believe there are people that are like, let's be peacemakers."

Where there's a celebrity, there's usually a scammer trying to cash in on their famous name. And Joanna Gaines is no exception. In 2017, the "Fixer Upper" star took to Instagram to deny any affiliation with a skincare range that had apparently been trading on her persona.

"There have been rumors floating around about me leaving the show to start a skincare/makeup line," Joanna wrote alongside a graphic of various products emblazoned with a red 'No' symbol. "I wanted to take a minute to let y'all know that it's simply not true. This is a SCAM! We have nothing to do with it and have been trying to stop it for some time."

Five years later, Joanna was once again forced to set the record straight for a slightly more far-fetched scam she'd inadvertently got caught up in. The one-time HGTV regular had been pictured alongside Elon Musk in a fake advertisement for mini heaters. "NOT SELLING ENERGY WITH ELON," she wrote in attention-grabbing style in a series of Instagram stories (via Country Living) which also refuted that she was giving away free cookware.

In 2022, Joanna Gaines published a memoir, "The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters," in which she opened up about her upsetting struggles with her half-Korean heritage. And in an episode of a same-named companion podcast, the Magnolia Network co-founder broke down in tears while discussing the same subject with her mother, Nan.

After talking about the abuse she received over her heritage during her school years, Joanna explained to her mom (via Country Living) while she kept quiet at the time: "I never sensed you were not strong enough to carry it, but I just felt like we could have two people hurt here or one, which is why I opted to silence my pain."

Wiping away the tears, Joanna then apologized to Nan for previously trying to hide an important part of her identity, citing a post-graduation trip to New York City's Koreatown as a catalyst for her change in perspective: "I always wanted to say I was sorry, for living in halfness, and not fully embracing the most beautiful thing about myself which was you, the culture that was half of me as a Korean little girl, as a Korean teenager, as a Korean woman. That I felt that guilt and that regret."

Joanna Gaines may appear to be at the height of confidence when renovating houses with her husband Chip. But behind the scenes, the Magnolia Network co-founder has recently found herself having to battle with anxiety.

"My adrenaline was slowing, revealing in its absence insecurities and unhealthy habits from way back when that I'd been moving too fast to deal with," she told Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper in 2022 about the first time she started to experience severe anxiety in the wake of her 40th birthday. "It was taking me longer to be inspired but less time to become tired. And because my world kept me busy, I could still feel the wheels of my life humming."

And Joanna's investment in social media didn't help matters, either. In a chat with USA Today, the unlikely friend of Jennifer Lopez admitted that the more Instagram followers she accrued, the more time she spent agonizing over every post: "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." Luckily, she eventually realized that this obsession wasn't particularly healthy and adopted several coping mechanisms to help distract her from such thoughts. She's even imposed a strict 'no social media until 18' rule for her kids, too. 

Losing an animal is always hard. But the two goats that Joanna Gaines and her husband Chip lost in 2020 didn't die of illness, natural causes, or even a tragic accident. They were deliberately targeted in a bizarre late-night fatal shooting at their Magnolia Homes estate.

The gruesome discovery was made by workers at the property made famous by the Gaines' hit show "Fixer Upper." Waco Texas Police Department Sergeant, Patrick Swanton, revealed to People that the goats were kept in a confined space and therefore unable to make their escape during the intrusion which occurred long after all employees had gone home. "Somebody like that doesn't need to be out on the streets," he added. "We're going to do what we can to put them behind bars."

"We are working closely with Waco Police Department to bring this person to justice," the Gaines said in a statement given to Country Living. "We're saddened and shocked by this senseless crime, and at the same time, so grateful for the outreach and support from our community." Sadly, the tragic incident remains an unsolved mystery.