Chip And Joanna Gaines Quietly Took A 3 Month Magnolia Network Break, And I Totally Get Why They Needed To ‘Get Outside The Business’

Chip and Joanna Gaines have been plying their trade as master home renovators for over twenty years now, but fans know that how the world really fell in love with the couple and their work was through their HGTV hit, Fixer Upper. Though that series (in its original form, anyway) only ran for five seasons and wrapped in 2018, they continued to build an empire, which has also included their Magnolia Network since 2021. Now, Joanna has opened up about how they discretely took a whole three months off, and I 100% understand why they had to “get outside the business” for a bit.

When And Why Did Chip And Joanna Gaines Take A 3 Month Magnolia Network Break?

Aside from the break that Chip and Joanna Gaines took between 2018 and 2021 (which was more of a “light pause” instead of an actual “break” because they started Magnolia Network and had their fifth child), the duo has been ever-present on television. The beginning of their network brought numerous lifestyle and home design shows, including the Joanna-hosted Magnolia Table and new series in the Fixer Upper franchise.

However, it was in 2024 that the entrepreneurial parents decided to take a step back for a while. As Joanna recently revealed on the Business of Home podcast, it was in June of that year that they left their many businesses in the hands of their employees, with the Homebody author saying:

Apparently, Chip was actually the one who initiated the idea that the pair needed “intentional time” away to “dream about all that’s to come,” as they sought to “make sure our foundation was set” before heading into the future with both their business and family life. When someone has as much going on as they do, sometimes the only way to get a clear picture of what you want for your life next is to remove as many of those responsibilities as possible so you can focus on what you really want and need, instead of just letting the tide of work and obligations carry you along.

It was actually around the time that they took their sabbatical that the Gaineses (who will soon have their 22nd wedding anniversary) did an interview where they revealed how glad they were to have “made it out alive” by the end of Fixer Upper. While Joanna noted that they were also working on a number of non-televised renovations, other business projects and raising kids during their hit series, Chip added that doing the show was also difficult because of the “oil-and-water” mix of trying to combine clients wishes and construction scheduling with the timeline of a TV show.

After stepping down from the series that made them famous, Chip noted that they had been “almost desperate” to get away from the grind of shooting a TV show “because we felt that whirlwind had gotten so complicated to that it was hard for us to coexist in it,” which had to be especially hard while raising kids.

So, it makes complete sense that last year was a great time for another break, as those children are growing up fast. They already had their oldest son, Drake (20) out of the house by last summer, but are quickly coming upon the time when Ella (18) Duke (16), and Emmie Kay (15) — their youngest, Crew, is only six — will all be flying their stylish coop. As Joanna said during her interview:

People tend to have a lot of conflicting emotions when it comes to sending their children out into the big, wide world to really begin to fend for themselves in college. Here’s hoping that taking summers off to help get their kids ready for that big life change will also allow them enough time to recharge professionally so we get to watch them on new shows like Mini Reni for a long time to come.