HGTV Stars Whose Relationships Were Plagued By Affair Drama

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The following article references firearms, mental health struggles, addiction, and sex work.

Home and Garden Television has been entertaining millions of households around the world since 1994 thanks to its wide array of interior design, home renovation, property hunting, and competition shows. For decades, this thriving network has aimed to uphold a wholesome, laid-back, and family-friendly reputation. Yet, behind the scenes of this carefully crafted image lies a reality tainted by various red flags and rumors, from fraud to discrimination, substance abuse, sexual harassment, and shocking romantic entanglements.

For instance, some of the controversies around Chip and Joanna Gaines — who launched the Magnolia Network in 2022 –- include reports that they attend a church with anti-LGBTQ+ views. Moreover, Alison Victoria and Donovan Eckhardt's "Windy City Rehab" became one of HGTV's messiest scandals when it was slapped with a stop-work order. Meanwhile, Christina Haack (formerly Christina El Moussa, Anstead, and Hall) has frequently been at the center of headlines because of her relationships and divorces.

In other words, beneath their celebrity status, these beloved reality TV personalities aren't infallible and can make questionable decisions just like anyone else. From Haack to David Bromstad and Jillian Harris, these are some of the HGTV stars whose unions were largely ruined by actual or rumored infidelity.

There's little doubt that the stunning Christina Haack ranks highly among the most controversial stars in HGTV history, if only for her tumultuous nuptials. In 2009, she tied the knot with another real estate professional, Tarek El Moussa. Four years later, their show "Flip or Flop" started airing on the network, cementing them both as household names after enduring for 10 seasons. Meanwhile, trouble was brewing in paradise, culminating in a violent altercation. On May 23, 2016, following a fight, El Moussa stormed out of their home with a gun, prompting his alarmed wife to call 911 on him out of fear he might harm himself. Then, in December 2016, and despite trying to resolve their issues through therapy, the pair decided to call it quits.

Various reasons circulated about the true cause behind their split, such as mutual infidelity. Even their official statement, which included (via Distractify), "Neither of us was involved in a romantic relationship with any third party prior to our separation or believes the other was," couldn't convince the media or the public. One theory suggested that Haack was having an affair with their family contractor, Gary Anderson — especially after they were spotted embracing in public.

Another rumor claimed that El Moussa was involved with the nanny, Alyssa Logan, who was 23 at the time. One thing is for certain: Haack soon moved on with the man who would become her second husband, Ant Anstead.

It seems that Christina Haack and Josh Hall's troubles started long before their divorce. In fact, Haack claimed that she turned down his first marriage proposal because she still wasn't ready, and that his response was to angrily throw the ring into the pool. The pair met at a real estate conference and began dating discretely in March 2021 — months before Haack's divorce from Ant Anstead was finalized. They announced their engagement in September that year, during a romantic getaway to Los Cabos, and exchanged vows in a private ceremony in October. They apparently both filed for divorce in July 2024, with Hall requesting spousal support as well as the rights to the HGTV/Discovery Network shows and specials they had produced together. A few months later, Haack dropped a clue about why she called it quits with Hall. "When someone is insecure by you and doesn't like to watch you win, that really puts a damper on everything," she told Entertainment Tonight.

The Daily Mail, however, raised another issue. After the "Christina on the Coast" star moved on with Network Connex CEO Christopher Larocca, the outlet reported that Larocca's ex-girlfriend, Andrea Deanna, was skeptical of the couple's innocence. She claimed Larocca started seeing Haack when he was still with her — and the HGTV personality was still married to Anstead. Both Christina and Larocca denied those allegations.

Jen Hatmaker and Brandon Hatmaker were the hosts of the hit HGTV reality show "My Big Family Renovation," which ran for two seasons in 2014 and 2015 and revolved around their renovation projects in Texas. Married in 1993, the couple expanded their family with three biological and two adopted children, often sharing their hectic-yet-affectionate dynamic with their fans. Therefore, it was quite surprising when the couple announced they were splitting up in 2020. Jen shared a baffling statement on Instagram (via Us Weekly) that included, "Although the details are ours alone, this was completely unexpected, and I remain stunned as we speak. I am shocked, grief-stricken, and broken-hearted."

While cheating allegations ran rampant at the time, they were only confirmed upon the publication of her September 2025 release, "Awake: A Memoir." In her bestselling book, the author and blogger exposed her ex-husband's infidelity, revealing that she listened in on one of his calls with the other woman and then frantically proceeded to search his personal computer for more evidence. According to Jen, Brandon's affair wasn't just a meaningless fling and involved him dipping into the family funds to shower his girlfriend with luxurious presents. Following his departure, she fell into severe emotional distress all the while focusing on their children's wellbeing and attempting to restore her financial situation.

As the first-season winner of "HGTV Design Star," interior designer David Bromstad has appeared on and hosted a number of the network's successful programs, from "Color Splash" to "Beach Flip" and "My Lottery Dream Home." On the romantic front, he stayed with his partner, Jeffrey Glasko, for 11 years before calling it quits over cheating allegations. The pair officially met at a bar in 2004 when Glasko was still a police officer. "I had a crush on him for years and years but was never formally introduced," the HGTV star recalled to the South Florida Gay News in 2012 (via Entertainment Now). "We both were always in relationships, and then we were single, and we fell in love immediately. It was really cool."

According to In Touch Weekly, when the couple separated in 2015, Glasko filed a lawsuit against his former partner for breaching their "oral cohabitation and support agreement." He claimed that Bromstad had been squandering money from their joint bank account since 2010 to pay for recreational drugs and encounters with prostitutes. However, the judge dismissed the case and penalized Glasko.

Jillian Harris is mostly known for appearing on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" and for co-hosting HGTVs' "Love It or List It Vancouver." She also contributed her design skills to "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." As far as her personal life is concerned, Harris was previously engaged to marketing technology executive and reality TV celebrity Ed Swiderski, whom she met during the fifth season of "The Bachelorette." Following accusations that he had been unfaithful with two different women, Betheny Steffan and Lindsey Johnson, the pair decided to part ways in July 2010.

It was Us Weekly that reported in 2009 that Swiderski was involved with Steffan and Johnson during the taping of "The Bachelorette" and during his engagement to Harris. Back then, he denied those allegations on "Good Morning America," stating (via ABC News), "Jillian and I have been the target of being one of the very few successful couples on the show. We're clearly being targeted because we're happy."

Nevertheless, after Harris and Swiderski called it quits, an inside source called the latter "a player," revealing to RadarOnline, "We think Ed was doing shady stuff during their relationship. Jillian knew but couldn't put her finger on it." The HGTV personality later admitted to People that her ex-fiancé's infidelity left her devastated and prone to anxiety attacks.