Regarding allegations of racism and anti-LGBTQ attitudes made against her and her husband Chip, Joanna Gaines said, “That’s the stuff that keeps me up.”
The Gaines’ are responding to their critics.
The Fixer Upper stars recently discussed some of the criticism they have received regarding diversity and inclusion in a detailed interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Although Joanna, 43, told that she has long wanted to talk about the subject, this is the first time they have publicly addressed some of the criticism they have received.
I occasionally ask, “Can I just make a statement?” According to THR, Joanna recalls “tearing up a little.”
“The charges that get flung at you, like ‘You’re a racist’ or ‘You don’t like people in the LGBTQ community’ — that’s the stuff that really eats my lunch,” she continued. “That’s what keeps me up at night,”
Chip, 46, echoed the idea and described how the Magnolia business group, which includes the upcoming Magnolia Network, opening on July 15, upholds a diversity and inclusion approach.
“It’s challenging to be absolutely diverse as a white male American,” he remarked. We have approximately 700 employees at our own company, and one of our main priorities is ensuring that this group represents all people.
One of Magnolia’s hallmark shows, Mind for Design, hosted by openly homosexual interior designer Brian Patrick Flynn, appears to be walking the walk.
The couple’s television program has also drawn criticism for never including any same-sex couples, according to THR.
More recently, it was made public by The Dallas Morning News that they gave $1,000 to Chip’s sister’s campaign for the Fort Worth school board. She has pushed against the teaching of critical race theory, a subject that is currently a source of disagreement for conservatives. The donation was given many months before his sister’s campaign platform had been established, according to THR.
According to THR, the Gaines made no public remarks regarding either issue.
That doesn’t mean they haven’t spoken out against racism, especially because they are a mixed-race family.
Chip and Joanna appeared with their children, boys Drake (16), Duke (13), and Crew (3), daughters Ella (14) and Emmie (11) on retired NFL player Emmanuel Acho’s YouTube series Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man following the police killing of George Floyd last summer. They have additionally promoted Black-owned businesses through their Magnolia empire.
Joanna has also spoken out about how the COVID-19 pandemic-related wave of anti-AAPI hatred has affected her personally. She described how as a young girl she witnessed her mother suffer from the same kind of hatred.
Joanna said to THR, “My mom is so tough, but with one glance or phrase, I would just see her shut down. So when I would come home and say, ‘So and so called me this,’ she didn’t know how to help me because it was also happening to her.”
“Growing up as a half-Asian, half-Caucasian, I understand what it’s like to feel unloved and unaccepted. That is the very last emotion I want someone to experience.”
