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Q: Why did Chip and Joanna Gaines leave HGTV for a new network?

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Author: 
Adam Thomlison / TV Media

To be fair, they're not just leaving for a new network. They're leaving for their own network.

The network formerly known as DIY Network is being rebranded as Magnolia Network, a joint venture between the Gaineses and Discovery. Discovery is the parent company of DIY and of HGTV, the Gaineses former TV home.

Once you know all that, the reason is pretty self-explanatory. They've done well for themselves on HGTV but they only have creative control of (and financial benefit from) the shows they appear on. With Magnolia Network, they have creative control over every minute of programming and they reap the benefits from all of it.

It also gives them to chance to expand themselves a little and be more than just renovators/style experts.

"The difference moving forward is Jo and I are going to be able to tell more of our life stories," Chip told USA Today. "And so, as opposed to it being a very narrow vein in our universe, which is obviously construction and design and the things we do for a living, for us, we feel like there's a more holistic story to be told here, and that's what we're going to focus on."

The move makes even more sense from Discovery's perspective. The Gaineses are among HGTV's biggest breakout stars, so it makes sense that the network's parent company would want more of them.

Magnolia Network (named after the Gaineses pre-existing lifestyle brand) was supposed to have launched already, but, like so many things, it's been delayed by the pandemic. (The past year was a pretty tough time to record a whole network's worth of new programming.)

 

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