Entertainment
Chip and Joanna Gaines step up to help lead a new TV network
NEW YORK (AP) — Chip and Joanna Gaines made a name for themselves thanks to their knack for renovating homes. Now they’re ready to put their skills to work on building an entire TV network.
The couple known for restoring old homes and buildings into styles varying from industrial to farmhouse are making the transition to TV executives with Thursday’s launch of the first steps toward their Magnolia Network. It will feature dozens of hours of new unscripted content and archive shows.
“It’s become this passion project for us and we’re just so excited about it. And now we’re finally here, and we can’t wait to show the world what we’ve been working on,” said Joanna Gaines.
The shows will vary from Atlanta-based farmer Jamila Norman helping families transform their outdoor spaces to designer Brian Patrick Flynn beautifying interior spaces. Motels get makeovers in one show, and vans get remade into tiny homes in another.
Joanna Gaines stresses that what Magnolia Network will offer mainly is not scripted shows as much as “real people doing real things.”
“The thing that I think wakes us up in the morning and gets us to work is the idea that we get to tell people’s stories,” she added.
Andrew Zimmern, an Emmy and four-time James Beard Award winning TV chef, signed on to host “Family Dinner,” in which he visits families across America to hear their stories and explore their food history. He’s known the Gaines for many years.
“They’re very genuine. They are who they are. They are consistent. They are reliable. They believe in taking risks and they believe in vulnerability,” he said. “They did not put any boundaries about what kind of show I was going to make. They essentially let me make the show I felt was important.”
Another host they tapped was Clint Harp, a carpenter who had been featured on the couple’s influential show “Fixer Upper.” Harp will debut “Restoration Road with Clint Harp,” following his trip across the country searching for items to fix.
“Joanna didn’t have to call me to keep making furniture for ‘Fixer Upper.’ She didn’t have to. They were fine on their own,” he said. “But she kept giving me opportunities. And I’ve told her this to her face and in front of other people before, just how grateful I am… And of course, whenever that phone rang and I saw her name on there, it was like, ‘Yes, what’s up? Let’s go!’”
The lifestyle channel will make its digital debut first, on discovery+ and the Magnolia app. Viewing requires a discovery+ streaming subscription, which starts at $5 per month and includes the app. Magnolia Network will then take over Discovery’s DIY network when it arrives on cable in January 2022. Chip and Joanna Gaines promise not the same old programming.
“I think it’s kind of good that we didn’t come from a background that understands television, honestly, because then we’d get kind of stuck in our minds about, ’OK, we need a formula, we need a format,’” said Joanna Gaines. “For us, it was just like, ‘No, we want to find people who are authentically doing this. We want to tell their story. We’re not going to shape their story.’”
The launch comes at an interesting time in the lifestyle ecosystem, when many people cooped up during the pandemic are itching to get out of their homes and travel.
“I think the timing is actually pretty fortuitous and coming right at the moment when people are looking for inspiration of where to go,” said Allison Page, the president of Discovery, Inc.’s joint venture with Magnolia.
The couple also found encouragement from another figure who has built a TV empire — Oprah Winfrey. Chip and Joanna Gaines met virtually recently with Winfrey and came away inspired: “Something about that really made us believe that it was possible,” said Chip Gaines. “That she really believed in us meant a whole lot to us.”
Chip and Joanna Gaines catapulted to fame in 2013 in Waco, Texas, with their show “Fixer Upper.” It led to a magazine and lifestyle books as well as apparel, furniture and design lines, all under the Magnolia umbrella. At the beginning, they admit they felt odd.
“The first couple of seasons of ‘Fixer,’ Jo and I were like a fish out of water. We had no idea what this universe was like,” said Chip Gaines.
Their decision to end “Fixer Upper” in 2017 came at the height of its popularity, but the Gaines seemed to signal that they were fed up, chafing against production demands.
“Jo and I evolved pretty quickly in season one and two to where we had real expectations for what ‘Fixer Upper’ should be and how it should feel and what it should be about,” said Chip Gaines.
“And the production company had formats that it needed to fit us into. And those things started bumping into each other more frequently than they did in the first couple of seasons.”
As a sign of rebirth, the new Magnolia Network brand will launch with a nine-episode reboot of “Fixer Upper,” which the couple now produce, subtitled “Welcome Home.”
The biggest change the couple face now is that they are not just starring among fellow entrepreneurs from the worlds of design, food, home and garden — now they are employers. They may have to cancel shows, but Page said Magnolia Network will not operate like typical networks.
“The way Chip and Jo define success is different from probably your average media outlet in terms of, ‘Are we proud of the shows? Are the people that are watching it loving it, and what makes us well-rounded and fully realized as a brand?’ And that may wind up being some shows that are loved and some shows that are loved by fewer people and that may be OK,” Page said.
With all the changes, one thing remains: The couple won’t be watching — even their own network — on a traditional TV. They watch on mobile devices and computers at home, but they haven’t owned a TV in 18 years and don’t intend to start now.
“There is still no television in the Gaines household. And I’m proud to announce it. You stick to your guns. I stick to my guns,” said Chip Gaines.
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Chaka Khan, Q Parker to Lead Living Legends Foundation’s 35th Anniversary Gala in Atlanta
Milestone celebration will recognize the executives, radio personalities, entrepreneurs and cultural leaders who helped shape Black music and entertainment
ATLANTA, Ga. (FNN) — Ten-time Grammy Award winner Chaka Khan will serve as honorary ambassador and Grammy-winning singer and founding 112 member Q Parker as honorary gala chair for the Living Legends Foundation’s 35th Anniversary Awards Dinner & Gala, the organization announced.
The milestone celebration is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 2, in Atlanta and will bring together artists, music executives, radio personalities, creatives, entrepreneurs and cultural leaders to recognize the people whose work has helped shape Black music, media and entertainment.
For Khan, the role marks a return to an organization that recognized her more than three decades ago. She was among the artists honored by the Living Legends Foundation in 1992.
“When you cross a bridge, you don’t think about all the hands that built it. Some of the most important contributions are the ones we never see,” Khan said in the announcement. “Thank you, Living Legends Foundation, for seeing that every story matters and for honoring those hands and hearts that helped build the way for all of us.”
Chaka Khan Returns for Milestone Anniversary
Living Legends Foundation Chairman David C. Linton said Khan’s connection to the organization makes her participation especially significant during its 35th anniversary.
“Having Chaka Khan serve as our Honorary Ambassador during this milestone year is incredibly meaningful,” Linton said. “Chaka’s history with the Foundation reaches back to our earliest years, and her extraordinary career represents the excellence, longevity and cultural impact we have worked to celebrate for 35 years.”
Khan’s appearance also comes as she prepares for another chapter in her recording career. According to the foundation’s announcement, her new album, “Chakzilla,” is scheduled for release Sept. 18. The project, described as her first full-length album in seven years, includes collaborations with Sia, Snoop Dogg and Lenny Kravitz.
The combination of Khan’s new music and her honorary role highlights one of the gala’s central themes: connecting the legacy of Black music with the people continuing to move the industry forward.
Q Parker to Serve as Honorary Gala Chair
Joining Khan is Q Parker, a founding member of Grammy-winning R&B group 112. Parker will serve as honorary gala chair and help promote the foundation’s work recognizing and supporting music industry professionals.
“Black music has given me a career, a community, and an opportunity to use my gifts to impact people around the world, so serving as Honorary Chair for the Living Legends Foundation’s 35th anniversary is truly an honor,” Parker said.
Parker said the industry’s success extends far beyond the artists audiences see on stage.
“This organization understands that our industry is bigger than the names we see on the marquee,” Parker said. “There are countless people behind the scenes who have dedicated their lives to moving our culture forward.”
Parker recently released the single “Stare,” from his forthcoming album, “Evolution of Romance, Volume Two,” expected this fall, according to the announcement.
Honoring the People Behind Black Music and Culture
Founded in 1991, the Living Legends Foundation has built its mission around recognizing professionals whose work has helped bring Black music and culture to audiences around the world.
Beyond its annual honors, the nonprofit provides support to music industry professionals with confirmed needs and invests in future generations through mentorship, scholarships and other assistance.
The anniversary gala will continue that mission by placing executives, broadcasters, advocates, entrepreneurs and other behind-the-scenes leaders alongside some of the most recognizable figures in entertainment.
2026 Living Legends Foundation Honorees
This year’s honorees include:
- Ray Harris Lifetime Achievement Award: Louis Carr, president of BET
- A.D. Washington Chairman’s Award: Black Promoters Collective
- Jerry Boulding Radio Executive Award: Kenny Smoov, vice president of urban programming, Cumulus
- Frankie Crocker Radio Personality Award: Greg Street, air personality, V-103 Atlanta
- Impact Player Award: Juliette Jones, COO, Alamo Records
- Music Executive Award: Tim Reid, senior vice president, repertoire and marketing, BMG Recorded Music
- Mike Bernardo Female Executive Award: Phylicia Fant, global director, Black Music + Culture, Amazon Music
- Kendall Minter Entertainment Advocate Award: James McMillan, Esq., CEO, ART@WAR Entertainment
- Hip-Hop Visionary Award: Ted Lucas, founder and CEO, Slip-N-Slide Records
- Entrepreneur Award: Ralph McDaniels, executive producer, “Video Music Box”
Why the 35th Anniversary Matters
The anniversary reflects more than three decades of recognizing people whose contributions to Black music and entertainment have not always received the same public attention as the artists they helped build, promote and sustain.
That history is reflected in Khan’s return. After being recognized by the foundation in its early years, she will now help honor another generation of industry leaders.
The 35th Anniversary Awards Dinner & Gala will continue the Living Legends Foundation’s tradition of celebrating achievement, leadership, innovation and service while preserving the stories of the people who helped build the business and culture surrounding Black music.
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