On Fixer Upper and in every public appearance related to it, Chip Gaines has stood out as a fun-loving, wisecracking country boy who knew a thing or two about carpentry and loved to have a good time on camera!
But what if reality was a bit more complicated than what we all saw on HGTV every week?
Related: Chip Shaved Off His Lovable Head Of Hair For A GREAT Cause!
The longtime Fixer Upper fixture sat down with Oprah Winfrey to talk about life, fame, and family alongside wife Joanna Gaines. The couple’s convo with Winfrey will debut on Saturday in a Super Soul special set to stream on Discovery+ for the rest of the month. And as it turns out, Chip struggled way more with his newfound celebrity in the years after the show became a hit than anybody ever realized.
During the couple’s sit-down with the TV talker queen — yes, in the same familiar setting as where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle let loose their bombshell interview last Sunday — Chip and Joanna got very real about the price of fame in their lives, in their marriage, and for their family.
When Oprah popped the question, asking the happy couple how they reacted to such a meteoric rise to stardom, the 46-year-old husband was quick to reveal Joanna dealt with things much better than he did. Chip said (below):
“She is so incredibly wise, so incredibly grounded. That is who Joanna is … [And fame] was no big deal for her. But for me to become famous, I lost a part of myself that was really … it was sad. I would say it took me a year or two while I was still filming to try to grapple with what exactly it was that I was losing. [I had to] hunker down and really kind of try to unpack what it was about fame that seemed so incompatible with my personality.”
Wow!
That’s a huge surprise because, if you’ve ever watched the old episodes of Fixer Upper, Chip always comes across as so laid-back and comfortable on camera! Quick to crack a joke, obsessed with making Joanna roll her eyes in embarrassment or mock annoyance, almost like a kid with his carefree attitude and refreshing energy! So to hear him say he was the one who struggled with fame… Well, it just goes to show you never really know what people are going through! And that’s why you should always be kind to everyone you meet! Just saying!!!
Related: Chip And Joanna Tease Their Long-Awaited Magnolia Return In New Trailer!
Interestingly, it’s also not the first time Chip has alluded to personal struggles with his rapidly rising TV star. Back in December 2018, he spoke to the magazine Cowboys & Indians about his reality TV rise and admitted (below):
“Towards the end of the Fixer Upper journey, I felt caged, trapped. TV was a funny thing for me. I’m an authentic, sincere person. So, as long as things are natural and organic, I’m in my element. But the more staged something becomes, or the more required something becomes, it boxes me up. I just struggled with that environment. Especially at the end of it. The last two years, not that we don’t look back on them fondly, but they were more of a job. So, something about breaking out of that has been liberating.”
Wow! Very understandable when he puts it like that — and we can only imagine how he must have felt at the time when Fixer Upper was still going strong. BTW, you can see the quick preview clip of Chip and Joanna’s sit-down with Oprah over at The Oprah Magazine by clicking HERE.
Reactions, Perezcious readers? Are U surprised by Chip’s revelations here, or not? Sound OFF with your take down in the comments (below)…
[Image via Ivan Nikolov/WENN/CBS This Morning/YouTube]
The post Chip Gaines Reveals Difficulties Dealing With <i>Fixer Upper</i> Fame: 'I Lost A Part Of Myself' appeared first on Perez Hilton.
