Chip Gaines Points to Dangers of Fame and the Scary Moment His Son Got Lost in Crowd of Fans
What parent couldn't relate to the feeling of helplessness when, caught up in a crowd, your young child suddenly gets away from you and you can't reach him?
That's what Fixer Upper star Chip Gaines says happened to him. In his case, it was compounded by another factor that caused him to realize that the notoriety and fame from his TV show actually might not be a good thing.
"It was a bit of a sad moment where I realized that fame had sort of overwhelmed and taken over my entire life," he said Thursday on TODAY.
Chip says the incident occurred one day at a crowded flea market with his young son, Duke. As kids do, Duke wandered off but remained about 10 yards ahead of his father. But then an excited group of people recognized the Fixer Upper star, and the fans suddenly surrounded him, separating him further from his son.
"The experience of that had become a little bit normal for us because we definitely had gotten to that position in our careers to where we were recognizable in public, but in that exact second, I sort of lost contact with Duke."
It was a frightening moment for Gaines.
"It was sort of a disturbing series of events only because I realized in that moment I was incapable of communicating accurately that I was actually a desperate father trying to get my son into a safe place, but also at the same time kind of trying to resonate with these people and trying to not be rude and all the things that we struggle within a typical situation," he said.
At that point, Gaines realized that fame possibly had overwhelmed his life.
"But it was a bit of a shock to my system, and I, sort of, I would honestly say it sort of sent me into somewhat of a spiral that who I was in this famous situation really superseded who I was as a father and as a person," he said. "And it sort of forced me to reconcile with whether or not all of this was worth it in some of those kind of big life decisions you have to make in these cases."
Chip relates more personal stories and reflections on fame, family, and his rocketing TV career in his new book just out, No Pain, No Gaines.
In 2018, Chip and Joanna ended their hit HGTV show Fixer Upper while it was still at peak popularity. The entrepreneurial Christian couple needed a break from the spotlight as they were expecting their fifth child.
Their business efforts continued mostly off-camera over the past few years, but now they're returning to TV.
They've got new material streaming online on the discovery+ platform. And they'll be launching their own Magnolia Network online on July 15, 2021, and then on cable starting in January 2022. It will be taking the place of the DIY Network.
