The saga continues on the real reason behind why Chip and Joanna Gaines have decided to end Fixer Upper. While the hosts have stated their reasoning for ending the show was to take a break, rumors have surfaced in the past month that there were other, underlying, reasons as to why the two wanted to step away. Now, another crazy reason has surfaced, and while nothing is confirmed, it's being speculated the two walked over disputes with showing their merchandise on the series, and they could be plotting a return to television with a show on another network.
Specifically, Vanity Fair is reporting the rumor that the couple leaving Fixer Upper had come before a dispute with them showcasing their Magnolia Market line of products in the series. Scripps, which has no stake in the Magnolia Market home decor line, apparently didn't want Chip and Joanna Gaines showing their products unless they were to work out some sort of arrangement. Now, the current word is that the Gaines' have met with a few other outlets, and could be planning a return to television much sooner than expected.
Given how detailed television contracts can be, it seems unlikely that Scripps would leave out a section that forbids the couple from doing a new home-improvement show immediately after ending their run wtih Fixer Upper on HGTV. That said, if the contract is limited to home-improvement shows, the Gaines could make the jump to a new network in some different format and presumably hawk their Magnolia Market wares all they want. While the world continues to speculate the Gaines' next move, Magnolia Market director of PR Brock Murphy is sticking to the original story and saying the hosts' leaving had nothing to do with a dispute with Scripps:
Chip and Jo's decision to leave Fixer Upper is truly just based on their wanting to catch their breath for a minute---to rest, refresh, and spend even more time with their family and growing businesses. It is not based on anything related to Discovery-Scripps, or anything else that has been falsely reported.
The statement appears to be a pretty clear cut shutdown to the rumor, although if it were true, it wouldn't be good PR to change the Gaines' story at this stage. If the Gaines' are planning something behind the scenes, they certainly don't want Fixer Upper fans to know about it, judging by these statements. Of course, it's also completely possible they're telling the truth and are being driven up the wall with these repeated rumors. If that's true, maybe they'll just start a new show to shut everyone up again!
Fixer Upper's final set of episodes, Season 5, is currently airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on HGTV. For more on other shows, head over to our fall premiere guide or check out our midseason premiere guide and get a jump on television in 2018. For a list of shows that got the boot this year, visit our cancellation guide.
