Jonathan Knight's Impressive Transformation From Boy Band Heartthrob To HGTV Star

For millions of fans, Jonathan Knight will always be remembered as a member of New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), the boy band that dominated the late 1980s and early 1990s. As one of the group's heartthrobs, Knight became a household name at a young age, living a life of fame that few people will ever experience. Behind the scenes, however, Knight was quietly building a very different future for himself. After stepping away from the spotlight, the singer found a new passion far removed from the world of music: restoring old homes. What started as a side project eventually became a second career, allowing Knight to trade sold-out arenas for construction sites and transform forgotten properties into beautiful, livable spaces.

Today, Knight is a successful HGTV star, sharing his renovation expertise with viewers through shows like "Farmhouse Fixer." The series showcases his love for preserving historic homes while giving them modern updates, a passion that has earned him a whole new group of fans. While he still performs with New Kids on the Block and remains connected to the music that made him famous, he has created an entirely new identity outside the boy band world. Knight's transformation proves that reinvention is always possible, and that sometimes, a second act can be just as meaningful as the first.

When Jonathan Knight was growing up, he often accompanied his contractor dad to work. What started as a side job became something more for Knight, who fell in love with fixing homes. While he may have wanted to follow in his father's footsteps by getting into construction, the universe had other plans — at least temporarily. 

Producer Maurice Starr formed a boy band called Nynuk in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1984 after teaming up with 15-year-old Donnie Wahlberg of Dorchester, Massachusetts. Starr asked Wahlberg to recruit other members, so he turned to his friends, including his younger brother, Mark Wahlberg, Jamie Kelly, Danny Wood, and Jordan Knight. 

According to the group's history, Jordan's older brother, the future HGTV star, also wanted to join, completing the original lineup. "We would perform at nursing homes and at a jail. We did birthday parties, and really our goal was just to make enough money to buy scooters. That was our biggest thing," Knight told HGTV. By 1985, Mark Wahlberg left NKOTB and was replaced by Joey McIntyre, and Jamie Kelly had also departed. The group adopted the name New Kids on the Block and signed with Columbia Records.

The road to fame and fortune wasn't easy for either Nynuk or New Kids on the Block. In the early days, a performance at the Franklin Park Kite Festival was met by a rowdy crowd that threw things at the stage to express disapproval. When New Kids on the Block released its self-titled debut album, it didn't exactly top the music charts. In fact, only one song out of the 10 on the album charted on Billboard's Top 100 Singles. "Be My Girl" gave the guys a taste of what would come. While the record generated only modest success, it laid the foundation for the group's explosive breakthrough just a few years later with "Hangin' Tough."

For Jonathan Knight, however, the band's growing success came with an entirely new set of challenges. As New Kids on the Block's popularity exploded in the late 1980s, the group suddenly found itself at the center of Beatlemania-like fandom. Fans packed arenas, waited outside hotels, and followed the band across the country, leaving the five young performers with very little privacy. While millions of fans dreamed of living Knight's life, the constant attention and expectations that came with being part of one of the world's biggest boy bands would soon take a toll behind the scenes.

Many people did not know that Jonathan Knight was keeping a secret about his sexuality. At the time, Knight's manager knew that he was gay, but warned him about coming out. "He pulled me aside and was like, 'If anybody finds out, your career is over. The New Kids' career is over. My career is over,'" Knight told Lance Bass on a January 2023 episode of the "Frosted Tips" podcast (via Billboard). "It was just so much pressure," he continued, adding, "looking back, that was a lot of pressure to put on somebody who's just trying to figure out the world themselves. As it went along, the stress built up and built up and built up."

While Knight did his best to keep his sexuality out of the tabloids, those efforts came to a halt in 2011 when '80s singer Tiffany accidentally outed him when she was a guest on "Watch What Happens Live." Tiffany told host Andy Cohen that she previously dated Knight, saying, "He became gay later. I didn't do it! But he's fabulous. Now looking back, when we were dating he was so much fun. We used to do facials together. He was so easy to talk to and he was fabulous," she added (via Bravo). 

Knight took to Twitter (now X) with a funny response, writing, "I'm so devastated...How can I not remember getting facials???????" Tiffany would follow up with an apology on social media, and Knight was totally cool about it. "Tiff, please don't lose any sleep over it! I know you weren't being mean and I found it to be funny," he replied.

By the early '90s, the pressure of fame was beginning to catch up with Jonathan Knight, and by 1994, New Kids on the Block was no more. After years of nonstop touring and living under the intense spotlight of global fame, the group members found themselves ready for a change. The break-up, though temporary, seemed to be a blessing for Knight, who had been suffering from severe anxiety. "I was so run down," he told author Nikki Van Noy, who released "New Kids on the Block: Five Brothers and a Million Sisters" in 2012, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I had just been in a couple relationships with guys, and nobody knew. I knew I didn't want to be confined anymore. I think I was dealing with my inner demons," he added.

Despite the breakup, Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood, and Jonathan always had each other's backs: They truly became brothers. "We always knew that wherever we went in our lives, personally or professionally, we would always have each other," McIntyre told People magazine in 2024. "We went through something extraordinary together, and that bonds you for life."

After the New Kids on the Block decided to step away from the spotlight, Jonathan Knight felt a bit lost. "I came home to my 20-acre farm and woke up a couple days later, like, 'What am I going to do with the rest of my life?' I was 25, 26 years old and I felt like my career was over," he recalled to People magazine in 2021. A friend eventually introduced him to house flipping, giving Knight a chance to reconnect with the passion for construction he had developed growing up. "We started a company and flipped houses right up until I left for New Kids again in 2008," he told People. What began as a new direction eventually turned into a successful career in real estate development.

Fourteen years after saying goodbye to NKOTB, however, something changed. Fans noticed that the boy band's official website was back up, and rumors of a reunion began to circulate. In May 2008, the guys performed together for the first time in more than a decade, making their comeback official on the "Today" show. "We've got some new material. We're very excited. We're going to dance, we're going to sing, we're going to do it all," Donnie Wahlberg told Today.

The reunion quickly turned into something much bigger. The group released new music, returned to the road and eventually landed a Las Vegas residency, proving that their time in the spotlight wasn't over after all. And Knight found himself balancing two worlds: his music career and his home renovation career. In June 2025, he jumped in a convertible with Joey McIntyre and drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for "The Right Stuff" residency at Park MGM.

Three years after New Kids on the Block reunited, Jonathan Knight came out as gay. "I have never been outed by anyone but myself," Knight wrote in a statement that was posted on NKOTB's official website, according to Entertainment Weekly. "I did so almost twenty years ago," he wrote. "I never knew that I would have to do it all over again publicly just because I reunited with NKOTB! I have lived my life very openly and have never hidden the fact that I am gay!" he added. 

Knight explained that, while he wasn't ashamed of who he was, he also didn't believe his sexuality should become a public talking point simply because he was back in the spotlight. He made it clear that he wanted the same privacy afforded to his bandmates and hoped fans would respect that boundary. Ultimately, Knight said that he wouldn't be talking about his personal life any further. "My fellow band members don't discuss their private lives with their loved ones and I don't feel that just because I am gay, I should have to discuss mine," his statement concluded. NKOTB fans, known as "Blockheads," were extremely supportive of Knight and sent him positive messages on social media.

Jonathan Knight was all in with New Kids on the Block, but he didn't have any plans to leave his passion for fixing houses behind. In 2021, he was offered his own television program on HGTV, which would showcase his skills. "I'm so lucky to have two [passions] . . . I don't even call them jobs, because they're dreams," he told People magazine prior to the premiere of "Farmhouse Fixer" (read the truth about the HGTV show). The series followed Knight as he worked to restore homes for clients, which was definitely a change. "It's so nerve-wracking to have a family hand over their house to you, but I'm confident in what I do," he said.

Knight teamed up with interior designer Kristina Crestin, whose design expertise helped complement his renovation and restoration skills. Together, the pair developed a renovation style that focused on respecting the history and character of older homes while making them functional for modern families. The partnership quickly became an important part of the show's appeal, with Knight bringing his hands-on knowledge and Crestin helping turn his renovation visions into finished spaces. 

"It's fun to work with somebody whose passion for old houses is contagious," Crestin told Boston Magazine. "My favorite days are when I'm staging a house, and he'll walk in. Most of the time, he almost cries. That can be better than the homeowner's reaction because he's so invested in the house and I can see how proud he is of it," she added.

As Jonathan Knight was busy balancing his time as an international music sensation and a successful television host of a popular TV show about home renovations, his personal life was also entering an exciting new chapter. In August 2022, Knight revealed that he had secretly married his longtime partner, Harley Rodriguez. "Everybody just assumed we're married, so, I never say yes or no 'cause I don't wanna lie," Knight said during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. He explained that they held a private ceremony due, in part, to the coronavirus pandemic; however, they plan to hold a larger celebration in the not-so-distant future.

The couple, who have been together since 2008, live on a 7-acre farm in Massachusetts. When Knight is home, the two share the space well — and both keep up with their respective daily chores. "Now, I won't see Jon for hours at a time," Rodriguez said in an interview with HGTV. "I'll be inside the house doing stuff, and he's on the tractor and in the barn," he added. The two, who competed together on Season 26 of "The Amazing Race," occasionally share glimpses of their life on social media, though they continue to keep their relationship fairly private.

Jonathan Knight's success on "Farmhouse Fixer" led to HGTV renewing the series for two more seasons. The network later launched a spin-off called "Farmhouse Fixer: Camp Revamp," which featured Jonathan, his brother Jordan Knight, sister Sharon Knight, and their mom, Marlene Putnam, as they transformed an abandoned lakefront campground. From there, Jonathan's love for music, real estate, and family came full circle when he teamed up with his brother, Jordan, for the sixth season of HGTV's "Rock the Block" in 2025.

The competition gave the brothers another opportunity to combine their longtime love of home renovation while working side by side on a high-pressure project. It also offered fans a rare glimpse into the siblings' dynamic away from the stage, showing that their connection extends well beyond their years as members of New Kids on the Block. "Words cannot express the incredible time me and Jordan shared this season on 'Rock The Block,'" Jonathan captioned an Instagram post in May 2025. "This was a collaboration that ranks very high in the things we have done together. My love for the other competitors runs high! We got really close while spending so many days together," he added.

For a while, everything seemed to be falling into place for Jonathan Knight. He had found a way to turn his lifelong passion for home renovation into a thriving television career without giving up music. But the future of "Farmhouse Fixer" would soon take an unexpected turn. The show had become a major part of Knight's life, allowing him to share his expertise with viewers while working alongside Kristina Crestin. After three seasons, however, Knight revealed that "Farmhouse Fixer" would not be returning to HGTV, leaving fans wondering what the future might hold for the renovation star.

"I am sad to say HGTV has decided not to move forward with another season," he captioned an Instagram post while in Las Vegas with New Kids on the Block. "While I'm still processing the reasons that led to their decision, Kristina and I are so grateful for all your support over the past 3 seasons. Television has been so incredibly fun for us. We are so proud of what we created together and look forward to sharing what's next for us," he added. Knight's bandmate Donnie Wahlberg offered his support in the comments section of the post. "On to the next one! You got this. We are all ready for what you do next," he wrote.

Jonathan Knight may have said goodbye to "Farmhouse Fixer," but he wasn't saying goodbye to HGTV. The network had another renovation project in store for the longtime home improvement star, bringing him into the fold for the reboot of "Crashers," and he was super excited for the opportunity. The series gave Knight a chance to put his renovation skills to work in a different way, tackling spaces that homeowners have struggled to fix on their own. Rather than taking on full-scale historic renovations, Knight can focus on making a dramatic difference in a short time, which clearly appeals to his hands-on approach.

"Everyone has that one space that really needs work. But they have no time, no money and no idea where to start — and that's where I come in," Knight said in an interview with HGTV. "I love a challenge and especially one that's going to change someone's life in 72 hours," he added.