Why Some HGTV Fans Can't Stand Tarek El Moussa Anymore

Tarek El Moussa has been an HGTV fixture for more than a decade, so it stands to reason that most viewers like him at least a little. However, some have also taken to Reddit to share that they're not fans anymore. Let's take a deep breath and exhale on, "Yikes," because some didn't hold back. 

In a Reddit thread of viewers explaining why they didn't like Tarek, one started with a bang. "Bc he's a mansplaining, condescending, arrogant jerk that if he didn't get a tv show would still be living in his parents garage," they wrote. They went on to hint at being concerned about the women in his life, particularly his ex-wife, Christina Haack. In addition to pointing out the role that Haack played in his success (and given Haack's net worth is actually higher than Tarek's, they had a point), they added that the way Tarek spoke about her was particularly worrying considering they had kids together. "Stop talking to the mothers of ur children the way you do," they wrote. 

Another HGTV fan also cited the reports of Tarek comparing Haack with his second wife, Heather Rae El Moussa, as a reason they disliked him. "He age shamed Christina saying she's old and Heather is young when there's literally only a 4 year age difference where as him and Heather are 6 years apart ... seems maybe he is insecure about his age and saying young ... and taking it out on Christina," they mused. It does bear mentioning that while things between Tarek and Haack became messy around the time of their split, these days, they're very amicable, and Haack's relationship with Tarek's new wife, Heather, is super tight, too. Even so, we're not banking on the critics fawning over their newfound "Modern Family" bond. 

Outside of his dynamic with his ex-wife, another reason some HGTV viewers have given for disliking Tarek El Moussa is the contents of a lawsuit against him. As some may recall, in February 2025, the Daily Mail ran a story outlining Tarek's legal battle with a former employee (who he claimed was never even an employee but simply in the running for the position of CEO). We won't get into all the details here, but one startling revelation made in the back-and-forth between El Moussa and his business partner and the would-be CEO is that the HGTV star had once "lost his temper and threw a sandwich at one of his assistants, complaining that it did not have mustard." Yikes. The complainant went on to add that the very same day, another of Tarek's employees resigned specifically because of being yelled at and berated.

While Tarek and his business partner have denied the allegations, it's not hard to see why his detractors have had a field day with the claims. In another Reddit forum, a number of HGTV viewers said they believed the accusations, with one writing, "This tracks. He comes across as a total hothead." Others pointed back to the time HGTV insiders told Life & Style that his outbursts at Christina Haack had prompted them to set up scenes as fast as possible to avoid any room for conflict. 

In light of the drama between Tarek and his first wife and the subsequent claims made by the (maybe) ex-employee, some said they didn't plan on watching any of his newer projects. Time will tell if that ever impacts the show's ratings — because, as we said, Tarek's exceptionally long run on HGTV certainly hints at most viewers being fans.