Chip and Joanna Gaines were a staple on DIY television for years. We watched the couple on Fixer Upper and not only fell in love with their style, but also with their family.
After five seasons of their hit show, the family decided to call it quits. With four kids and another on the way, they needed to take a little break.
"It is with both sadness and expectation that we share the news that season 5 of Fixer Upper will be our last," they said at the time. "While we are confident that this is the right choice for us, it has for sure not been an easy one to come to terms with."
The couple has stayed out of the spotlight for a little while, but now a few months after the last episode of Fixer Upper aired, the Gaineses are back doing TV interviews. While on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, the couple discussed their departure from HGTV, and also made an exciting announcement.
"TV's a tough business," Chip admitted. "We came into this sort of thing sort of shock and awe. We had never had any inspiration to be on television. We didn't know about the business, so when you step into this universe it really takes your feet under you, you can say the least. After five years we really realized we wanted to take a step back and focus on our marriage, focus on our family and catch our breath. And have a baby."
The duo doesn't regret being on TV though, hinting that it's what gave them their family.
"We had four beautiful babies before we were introduced to the world via Fixer Upper and then we had zero babies while we were working this full-time job called Fixer Upper," Chip joked. "Well, as soon as we decided to stop Fixer Upper, we had a fifth baby, so we kind of figured out the Rubik's Cube here. Time on our hands equals additional children. So we're essentially looking for a part-time job to keep us busy!"
But what Chip and Joanna have lined up sounds a little more intensive than a "part-time job!"
"We actually partnered with [Discovery Channel CEO] David Zaslav and Discovery," Chip revealed. "We're actually going to have a network, and I think we're going to really carve it out in a way that makes sense to us and our family."
"We signed a non-disclosure and it said quote unquote you can tell your mother but that's it. So mom, I just wanted to make a quick announcement," the father of five laughed. "We are coming back to television. You are going to get to see the kids grow up, you'll get to see us, well maybe a six-month delay like the rest of the world, but we are excited to be back."
But even though they're coming back to television, family will always take priority.
"I think we're really going to carve it out in a way that really makes sense to us and our families," Chip said. "It'll be filmed a lot in Waco, Texas, so we don't have to travel a whole lot. All things being equal, we could not be more excited."
John Marsicano, a spokesman for Chip and Joanna's lifestyle brand Magnolia, confirmed the new network.
"We're excited to share that we are currently in the early stages of talking with Discovery about a lifestyle-focused media network for Magnolia," Marsicano said. "The details surrounding this opportunity remain a work in progress, but together, our hope is to build a different kind of platform for unique, inspiring and family-friendly content."