Chip Gaines, the star of the hit series “Fixer Upper,” has had just about enough of his Christian fan base.
Gaines and his wife Joanna drew the ire of their faith-based audience when they intentionally included a same-sex couple on their new reality television series, “Back to the Frontier.”
One pro-gay publication said the show had “queer Laura Ingalls Wilder vibes for gay dads stepping back in time.”
“Back to the Frontier” transports three families back to the 1880s where they have to give up modern comforts in exchange for a horse and buggy and outhouses. The program airs on the Magnolia Network and is streaming on HBO Max.
“For Gen Xers who grew up fantasizing about Michael Landon as daddy Charles Ingalls taking you into the barn for a roll in the hay, your time has come,” wrote Queerty in a review of the show.
Renowned evangelist Franklin Graham said he was “very disappointed” that a same-sex couple had been included in the show.
“While we are to love people, we should love them enough to tell them the truth of God’s Word,” Graham said. “His Word is absolute truth. God loves us, and His design for marriage is between one man and one woman. Promoting something that God defines as sin is in itself sin.”
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The backlash has been overwhelming with many fans saying they would no longer watch programs produced by the Gaines or purchase their products.
Gaines fired back and accused modern American Christians of being hateful and judgmental.
“It’s a sad Sunday when ‘non believers’ have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian,” he wrote on X. “Talk, ask qustns, listen.. maybe even learn. Too much to ask of modern American Christian culture. Judge 1st, understand later/never.”
The eight-part series features Jason Hanna and Joe Riggs, a married same-sex couple raising 10-year-old twin boys in Dallas, Texas.
Following the backlash, the Hannah-Riggs family shared a statement saying, “Representation matters deeply–especially for those who are still finding the courage to live their truth. When families like ours are visible, it opens doors for others to feel safe, loved, and validated. Visibility isn’t just about being seen; it’s about making sure no one feels alone.”
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The American Family Association said “Back to the Frontier” promotes an “unbiblical view of human sexuality, marriage and family – a view no Christian should embrace.”
“This is sad and disappointing, because Chip and Joanna Gaines have been very influential in the evangelical community,” said Ed Vitagliano, vice president of the influential Christian ministry.
Syndicated with permission from ToddStarnes.com – founded by best-selling author and journalist Todd Starnes. Starnes is the recipient of an RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award and the Associated Press Mark Twain Award for Storytelling.
