Joanna Gaines has revealed that she and her husband Chip chose to end their hit HGTV series «Fixer Upper» at the height of its popularity because she had reached a point of what she calls «soul weariness» — a deeper exhaustion that physical rest alone could not cure.
Speaking on the «Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb» podcast, Gaines explained that the decision came when the couple realized the intentionality behind their work had faded. «When you start realizing you're living on a thing that's now… the intentionality is gone, and you're just showing up… that doesn't feel fulfilling,» she said. «It actually feels as though we're part of this machine that is like, 'What's the life here?'»
Gaines described the moment as a pivotal one for the couple, who had spent nearly 25 years building their business. «Stopping in that moment was basically us saying… 'What's worth it is, like are we healthy? Are we good? Is our family good?' That's the most important thing,» she said. «So that was really a very pivotal moment for us.»
The couple first appeared on television when the «Fixer Upper» pilot aired in 2013. The series followed Chip and Joanna as they renovated rundown homes in Waco, Texas, transforming them into polished spaces for clients while growing their Magnolia brand. The show quickly became a hit, turning the Gaineses into household names far beyond the home renovation world.
In September 2017, the couple announced they would end «Fixer Upper» after its fifth season, choosing to step away while the series was still riding high. The final season aired in 2018. Reflecting on the decision, Joanna said that about three years ago, she and Chip stopped seeing where they were headed. «We stopped seeing vision. We stopped remembering, 'Like why are we doing this?'» she recalled.
The couple decided to take the summer off, but the choice was not without consequences. Joanna acknowledged that stepping away put pressure on their team. «Which meant disappointing our team, disappointing a lot of things… So it cost us something. It cost people something,» she said. «But that three months was time for us to go, 'We need a break. We need clarity. Why are we building this? What are we doing this for?'»
Gaines also remembered the moment she felt the burnout was impossible to ignore. «When you start dreading your days, like 'I don't want to do that,'» she said. The sense of dread became so pronounced that she found herself looking for almost any excuse to hit pause — even an unexpected illness. «You start like wishing for a stomach bug or… 'Okay, maybe back surgery this year would be great.' Like how do I force myself?» she laughed.
Physical exhaustion, Joanna explained, is something she knows how to push through. But the deeper exhaustion is different. «So there's that part, but also just… where your soul just feels weary,» she said. She described the soul as the deeper part of a person — the place that can run dry even when the body is still capable of performing. «From a physical standpoint, I can work till I can… I can push past the weariness the physical, but then you get to that layer of like the soul weariness and that's dangerous.»
Joanna said that warning is one she is now determined not to ignore, describing the feeling as a «holy fear.» For the entrepreneur and television personality who built an empire by constantly creating, the hardest lesson may have been learning that she cannot simply outwork exhaustion.
The Gaineses tied the knot in 2003 and are parents to five children: Ella, Drake, Crew, Emmie and Duke. As they planted their roots in Waco, their Magnolia businesses took off. After five seasons of «Fixer Upper,» the original series ended in 2018. Magnolia Network programming later debuted on Discovery+ in 2021 before the linear Magnolia Network replaced DIY Network in January 2022.
The couple's Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco includes Magnolia Market, the Shops at the Silos, Silos Baking Co. and Magnolia Press Coffee Co. They also operate Magnolia Table elsewhere in Waco. The design duo additionally publish «Magnolia Journal» and have written a series of lifestyle books. They have a Magnolia Home furniture and accessories collection, and Joanna created the Hearth & Hand with Magnolia collection for Target. Chip and Joanna also opened the 33-room Hotel 1928 in Waco in 2023 after renovating a historic building in partnership with AJ Capital. The couple also offers Magnolia vacation rentals in Waco.
Joanna's reflections offer a rare glimpse into the personal cost of building a public empire and the difficult choice to step back from success in order to protect one's health, family and sense of purpose.