The Clear Signs Chip & Joanna Gaines' Reputation In Waco Has Soured

Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines have long used their TV shows and businesses to highlight Waco, Texas, so it may come as a surprise to some that not everyone from the city counts themselves as fans. Sure enough, though, between complaints about gentrification in the city and even some shady claims about the couple's business dealings, some have downright soured on the HGTV alums. 

First things first, Chip and Joanna's business dealings. A number of Reddit users claiming to be from Waco have used the platform to accuse the "Fixer Upper" stars of having a rep in the city for bad work and passing the buck, even prior to their first TV show. "With local vendors before the show you would call them to collect payment and would always get the, 'The check is in the mail' for weeks and months. Loads of unpaid bills around town before they got their show," wrote one user. "The homes they 'renovated' would always have major issues with them and they would never correct them and blame their subcontractors ... multiple housing violations and rude to anyone they had to deal with," they continued. Over on another Reddit forum, some pointed to Chip's shady side. "All I can say is that he's a shady 'business' man," they wrote, adding that they didn't know of any rumors of shadiness extending to Joanna. 

Of course, it's not exactly a secret that Chip has been accused of dodgy deals in the past. On the contrary, he's previously been sued by ex-business partners and had to settle with the United States Environmental Protection Agency after he was accused of violating lead paint regulations. That said, in addition to the aforementioned settlement, Chip also had his initial case with his business partners dismissed, and ended up coming to a settlement with them after he countersued for defamation. 

On to another gripe Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines' detractors have with the couple, many have also voiced their frustration with the double-edged sword of upgrading the town — something one Reddit user said has led to residents using the term "the Magnolia effect." Not, it should be noted, always a term of endearment. 

"They haven't done so much for the 'community' aside from drive [up] the cost of living with no increase in pay," wrote one Reddit critic. Others seemed to agree. "Literally ruined our community. Taxes sky rocketed and so did the housing market. They did nothing for the common Wacoan," an irate resident said. Another shared that in the wake of just how pricey the market had become, they'd faced major financial difficulties. "I had to sell my house a few years back after my taxes got so high I couldn't afford it anymore," they said. That still wasn't all — another Redditor shared that a friend of theirs had been unable to afford her home after Magnolia bought and renovated a bunch of properties on her block. As a result, they claimed, the friend specifically tried to sell to a company other than Magnolia, "Only to find out that it was a company owned by Magnolia some months later." The user went on to conclude, "So, yeah, we hate Magnolia. It's also a tradition to flip off the Magnolia billboards." Yikes. 

Of course, there were also some who pointed out that Chip and Joanna's revitalization efforts weren't the only reason for higher taxes. "Housing prices are increasing throughout Texas so you can't fully blame them," one such netizen said. 

In addition to the tax issue, some have also taken issue with just how much Magnolia's presence is felt in Waco. In fact, one Reddit user went as far as referring to it as "a TV show theme park." The same Redditor went on to point out that there wasn't a ton of opportunity for other local business owners to thrive alongside the Gaineses' empire. "They really seem to try their best to keep their fans inside their ecosystem at all times," they said — and over on another forum, a different user concurred, noting that where the couple's annual "Silobration" could be used to highlight local food businesses, the couple instead hired food trucks from other Texas cities.

Others have also complained about the impact the couple has had on local companies that had been in the city for years — unlike Chip and Joanna, who only ended up in Waco as college students. "They've run local businesses, like antique shops and bakeries out of business and just made things more expensive," wrote a frustrated Reddit user. 

That's not all, though. On top of not being able to compete with the Gaineses' massive presence, another drawback some residents have listed is the fact that Magnolia has attracted non-locals to the city. Of course, not everyone would see that as a problem, but some did say that the influx of people made it harder for them to go about their daily lives, citing traffic as a major frustration. Said one Redditor who previously lived near the Silos, "The roads over there are not made for that many people. ... Any given Saturday that had a football game AND Magnolia did something you might as well just lock yourself inside and don't even try to leave."  

Sticking with tourists visiting Waco specifically because they're fans of Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines, some residents have said that this is the thing about Magnolia's massive presence in the city that annoys them the most. 

"FANS of the show seem to be completely uninterested in what the show claims to be about. ... They are too busy trying to out-farmdress the farm sandaled girls at yonder table who are too busy trying to out-folksy skirt the other table, who are too busy being openly hostile to the local servers because their goat cheese scramble wasn't goatty enough," one ranted on Reddit. The user continued, "They don't come into a neighborhood and celebrate its differences. ... They bring the trendy creativity that everyone is doing at the same time." Tell us how ya really feel!

The Reddit user whose frustrations with Chip and Joanna included the couple having other Texas businesses involved in the Silobration rather than local ones touched on that, too. "Waco is not benefitting from the 'tourism.' The people who do come to visit Waco come with the express intent to visit Magnolia. And nothing else," they said. TBH, it's up to tourists to decide how and where they spend their money. Even so, it's not hard to see why others in the local service industry may feel a type of way about it.

Other residents who aren't super thrilled to be sharing their city with the seat of the Magnolia empire? Former employees of the brand. 

A number of Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines' past staff have had some fairly icy things to say about the couple's company culture. Particularly, some have seemed to agree with the accusations from other residents who've claimed the Gaineses don't really care about the city they've brought so much attention to. Taking to Indeed, one disgruntled ex-employee complained, "They act like they support Waco and love small businesses but in reality it's all for show. No support and not a fun place to work." Another claimed the company culture was high-stress, and warned against applying for jobs there. Yikes. 

Now, it does bear mentioning that many other employees, both past and present, have spoken pretty glowingly of their time working for the Gaineses' company. For one, Magnolia Homes designer Laura Stafford once said in an interview with 4Word that Chip and Joanna were super inspirational as employers — and that they weren't micromanagers, either. "Chip and Jo are very empowering and releasing," she told the outlet. Likewise, while some of the Indeed postings have been less than complimentary, others have hyped up Magnolia as an excellent brand to work for. "This was a really fun job to work at. Management and co-workers were like one big happy family. Being located in the center of downtown in a small city made it even better," gushed one former receptionist. Guess it's true what they say: You can't please everyone.

It's worth noting that even with all the criticism they've faced, Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines do still have a number of local fans in Waco. In fact, some have even defended them against the criticism, while also lauding them for their treatment of their staff.

One Redditor, who praised Chip and Joanna for their revitalization efforts, wrote, "They have been good for the local economy and pay their employees more than most local places." In a different forum on the platform, another resident agreed. "The positives they have brought to our city FAR outweigh the negatives. It's so nice to have Waco not be synonymous with a crazy cult, a university that turns its back on bad behaviors, and the ghetto. ... If you don't like them or their product, simply don't go there," they said. Another had similar sentiments. "So much hate ... they've done more good here than bad. ... What they've helped do is take this place from sleepy crap hole to a place with actual amenities and drawn some attention to us," shared a Reddit user who wasn't at all opposed to their presence. 

Unfortunately for Chip and Joanna, being in the public eye means there are always bound to be strong opinions about them one way or the other. After all, they've had HGTV fans sour on them in the past as well. Granted, that didn't stop them from continuing to do their thing. And, sure enough, when they made their first HGTV appearance in years in mid-2024, they got a ton of love. Given that past commitment to sticking it out, criticism or not, and with so much of their empire based in and centered on Waco, something tells us the Gaineses aren't going anywhere.