Scandalous Rumors About Joanna Gaines We Can No Longer Ignore

Over the years, interior designer and lifestyle brand entrepreneur Joanna Gaines has earned a reputation as that of a squeaky-clean wife and mother of five children. "She is proud of being a wife and mother, and you don't always see that on the cooking shows," Kansas City school teacher Lindy Baker told the The New York Times in May 2020 about Joanna's wide-ranging appeal to viewers. 

Unfortunately, however, it's been rumored that even Gaines has a few skeletons in her closet, including whispers of divorce, shady business practices, celebrity business feuds, and even her extremely lavish off-camera lifestyle. Here are all the scandalous rumors about the famous Magnolia brand co-owner and co-founder we can no longer ignore.

If we had a dollar for every time we heard a rumor that Chip and Joanna Gaines were getting a divorce, we'd be as rich as, well, Chip and Joanna Gaines. (For reference: this is how much Chip and Joanna Gaines are reportedly worth today.) Upon announcing in September 2017 that "Fixer Upper" was ending after Season 5, many fans speculated that there was actually trouble in the Gaineses' paradise. Sadly, the divorce rumors started swirling yet again in June 2024. "What was once a marriage is now mostly a business," a source told Closer Weekly. "They have changed — but nothing has changed as much as their marriage!"

For the most part, Joanna has remained rather mum about all the divorce chatter surrounding her marriage. But in September 2017, she actually tried to explain away all of the divorce rumors on the "Today" show. "I don't do great with seeing that kind of stuff, reading into it, I just don't know what's going on," she told host Jenna Bush Hager. "So then I'll hear someone come up to me and say, 'I hear you and Chip are getting a divorce.' I'm like, 'Where did you hear?' You know, I don't know any of this is going on.'" 

Joanna also hinted at the rampant rumors in an open letter she penned for her blog in August 2021. " When our show took off, we couldn't have imagined all the beauty and blessings that would follow for us and for our family. ... But it didn't take us long to realize that being a part of this new reality also meant being a part of the news cycle. Stories get written about us, about our family, our plans, our supposed beliefs and politics," she wrote.

Joanna Gaines has often presented herself as a simple mother and wife focused on the art of homemaking. "What I find myself being drawn to are the normal things where I used to hate doing laundry, I love doing laundry. I love doing the dishes. I love working in the garden. Some of those basic kind of chores that used to wear me out and exhaust me are now the very things that kind of fuel me because it is normal," she told Parade in July 2021. Alas, it's widely rumored that's all just an act to cover up her killer business mentality. 

Joanna told People that she and Chip Gaines pulled the plug on "Fixer Upper" in an effort to spend more time with their children and give them some semblance of a normal upbringing. However, it wasn't long before sources came forward crying foul on that convenient narrative. "They've got to be pitching something in another format," a source told Vanity Fair shortly after it was announced that "Fixer Upper" was dunzo. "Maybe a talk show or something like that." Ironically, in November 2018, barely a year after announcing that the show was coming to a close, the couple announced their very own channel: Magnolia Network. Coincidence? We'll let you be the judge.

Rumor has it that Joanna Gaines' life with her husband, Chip Gaines, off-camera is beyond lavish. "We are passionate about hard work," Chip told Country Living in July 2024. "We tell our kids all the time, 'You're not going to be great at everything, but you are going to be the hardest worker.' When you talk about hard work, their granddaddies emulate it, their mom and I emulate it, and they're going to carry on that legacy," he declared. 

Interestingly enough, it seems that the Gaineses are very passionate about luxurious vacations, too. In August 2024, Joanna Gaines shared an Instagram video of her big brood vacationing in St. Lucia. As evidenced in the footage, the family spent time splashing around in a private pool that overlooked the ocean, touring waterfalls, and going on ziplining adventures. Alas, that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Gaines family's travels. In April 2023, the family sojourned all the way to Seoul, Korea, with 24 other members of their extended family in tow. "Feeling grateful for every moment this trip gave us," Joanna gushed about the family's international travels on Instagram.

It appears that Joanna's no-expense-spared mentality also spills over into the over-the-top birthday celebrations she plans for the couple's children. As evidenced on her Instagram account, the mother of five is a sucker for large and in charge balloon arches and opulent themed parties hosted throughout their 40-acre property (yes — 40) in Waco, Texas. 

Immediately after Meghan Markle announced the first rendition of her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, it was rumored that Joanna Gaines was none too pleased. Was Meghan really copying Gaines' Magnolia brand?! "The aesthetic is way too close for comfort," a source told Radar in April. "Everyone is whispering that Meghan's trying to steal Gaines' idea. Gaines is too polite to say anything publicly, but she's taken aback that so much of her playbook is being recreated, to put it kindly." The source was also careful to note that Gaines was not alone in her feelings. According to the insider, Gaines, Martha Stewart, and Rachael Ray were all  "appalled and saying that Meghan's got a lot of nerve." 

Meanwhile, many of Gaines' fans also seemed miffed over the idea that Meghan was fashioning her lifestyle brand after Gaines' Magnolia empire. "Meggy is a look at me wanna be with nothing of value to offer anyone, she can't be compared to people like Martha or Joanna," one X user wrote in part. Another quipped, "She could never."