Little-Known Facts About Ella Gaines That Might Surprise You

Chip and Joanna Gaines' five children have stayed predominantly out of the spotlight, but the "Fixer Upper" stars aren't afraid to give a glimpse into their busy lives with Drake, Ella, Duke, Emmie, and Crew. "I feel a little bit like a drill sergeant sometimes," Chip told People in 2018 about raising a brood of Gaineses. But his and Joanna's parenting responsibilities have lightened over the years, as some of their children have gone off to college. Ella Gaines, the couple's eldest daughter, was the second kid to leave their Waco, Texas home and start a brand new life for herself. 

Everything we know about Ella has come from her parents, who have eagerly shared their daughter's milestones with the public, albeit without breaching her privacy. Indeed, Chip and Joanna set rules for their children about their public life, prohibiting their social media use until they are adults. "Our house rule is you get social media the summer before you go to college ... so 18," Joanna revealed on the "Today" show in 2024. Now a college student, Ella has seemingly decided to stay largely out of the spotlight, while proving to her parents that she can take over the family business one day. 

After Ella Gaines' brother, Drake Gaines, enrolled in the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor — just a stone's throw away from the family home in Waco — Chip and Joanna Gaines wondered where their second oldest was going to land once she graduated high school. According to her parents, Ella wasn't even looking in the state of Texas when applying to schools. Indeed, she had her eye on the other side of the world. "We can't wait for her to decide. Ella has thought about Korea, she's thought about sunny Southern California," Chip told "Today" in May 2025. 

While Ella's goals were to seemingly get as far away from her hometown as possible, her parents weren't worried about their daughter living on her own. Comparing Ella to Drake, who purportedly didn't have as many life skills as his sister before packing his bags for school, Chip said, "It feels like we're sending this young lady off to become the next president of the United States."

Nonetheless, it was a difficult transition for the family. "With Ella, we love to go to antiques shops, plant shops, and go get coffee — that's our rhythm," Joanna told People of her relationship with her daughter. "I kind of feel like I'm losing a friend in my everyday life." Ella started attending Parsons School of Design in Manhattan in September 2025, per Hello!. Though it is not as close as her parents might have hoped, New York City is fortunately not as far of a plane ride as Korea. 

Joanna Gaines may not see her daughter every day since she moved away for college, but Ella Gaines left little pieces of herself at home for her mom to savor. According to the HGTV personality, she has been tasked with taking care of her daughter's plants while she's not home, and the amount of shrubbery says a lot about Ella's green thumb. "When Ella went off to college, I became the caretaker of her plant babies," Joanna wrote on Instagram in August 2025, alongside a video of Ella's bedroom, covered wall-to-wall with various house plants. "I hope these pretty plants like me as much as they liked her!"

Fans in the comments were amazed by Ella's collection of greenery that she left behind. "That's so beautiful!!!! I know that's fresh air, peace and harmony all up and through that space," one user commented under the video. Another wrote, "I hope that she's studying botany or horticulture because that girl has a gift! A green thumb X10!!" Ella undoubtedly learned what it takes to care for so many plants after years of watching her mom in their home garden. But that's just one character trait that Joanna passed down.

When it comes to which parent Ella Gaines takes after, it is apparently her mom. "Ella is like me," Joanna Gaines told People in 2019. "I think she'll follow in my footsteps and have her hand in a lot of things." At the time, Ella was seriously into cooking, a skill that she inherited from her mom — Joanna has not only published several cookbooks, but also helmed the Food Network show, "Magnolia Table."

In 2018, Joanna posted a photo of Ella's baking skills on Instagram, describing her daughter's aspirational business venture for the summer: a bake sale at her parents' office. "Tonight we stayed up late and she made Aunt Opal's banana pudding and the chocolate chip cookies from my cookbook," Joanna wrote. "She's going to make a heck of a business woman." In her interview with People, the mom of five also revealed that her daughter had specific dreams of opening a "donut truck," a goal that had seemingly been on her mind since at least 2015. Joanna posted a photo on Instagram of her kids making donuts that year, writing, "Their favorite part- the flour. Mine? The dough, eating it."

Though Ella has changed a lot since being an HGTV kid with dreams of donut-making, she hasn't given up on possibly following in her mom's footsteps. In 2025, the college student worked as an intern for Chip and Joanna's business, Magnolia, and seemingly had a keen sense of leadership. According to Joanna, who spoke about the internship on the "Business of Home" podcast, Ella was actively participating in team meetings. However, her internship was only the beginning of her potential future as a designer.

Apparently, Ella Gaines is already testing out how it feels to be in her parents' shoes. In a clip from "Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House," following Ella's heartwarming return home for the holidays, Joanna Gaines revealed that her daughter would be testing her design skills with a little project during their family's Colorado vacation house renovation. "Chip has always told Ella, 'Hey, before you go to college, I want you to flip a house, do a project.' She's always mentioned that she wants to do something in design," said Joanna. The Gaineses let Ella take the reins on designing a small cottage next to their main house on the Colorado property. Their daughter took creative liberties, which Joanna fully supported. However, one choice left Chip Gaines feeling "betrayed."

In a moment from the third episode of the series, Chip looked baffled as he pulled out the burgundy-colored bathroom tile that Ella ordered. The father of five initially thought they were maroon, the school color for Texas A&M University, the rivals of his alma mater, Baylor University. "A&M Aggies have no place in any project that I've ever been a part of in my life," Chip said, later adding during a FaceTime call with Ella, "You know what's not right? Maroon tile, babe" (via Realtor.com).

Nonetheless, Chip was incredibly proud of his daughter, noting at the end of the scene that he was only teasing her. Indeed, watching Ella take on this project had worked up a lot of emotion. In the comments of the initial trailer posted on Instagram, Chip wrote: "My baby girl ... all grown up." It might be a little sad watching their daughter grow up, but Chip and Joanna do not stifle their pride as they watch Ella come into her own.