HGTV Star Makes Shocking Admission

HGTV star Izzy Battres, best known for his work on Flip or Flop and now leading his own show Izzy Does It, is getting real about his troubled past — and how faith helped him turn everything around.

In a powerful interview on the We’re Out of Time podcast airing Tuesday, May 13, Battres recounts the dark years of his life before TV fame. He shares raw details about addiction, jail time, and the moment that changed everything.

“I started drinking really young,” Battres admits. “Then came weed, mushrooms, acid, and before I knew it, I was smoking PCP.” Growing up in a rough neighborhood, he says drugs were cheap and easy to get — a way of life for many around him.

He even served time in jail, confirming that, yes, he was arrested and locked up. But Battres is telling his story now to show that recovery is possible. “There’s a lot of people out there who think there’s no way out, no hope,” he says. “But I’m here to tell you — there is hope.”

One night, while high, he wandered into what used to be an old movie theater turned church. There was no service happening, but something inside him shifted. “I walked up to the altar and just broke. I’d never felt guilt before, never felt bad for anything I’d done. But in that moment, it all hit me. I just wanted forgiveness.”

That moment, he says, triggered an immediate transformation. “I got up feeling lighter. No more meth, no more madness. It was a miracle.”

Now, Battres is a husband and stepfather to his wife Liliana’s kids, Joseph and Brianna. He owns Battres Construction and stars in Izzy Does It, a home renovation series that also highlights his family and their business.

His HGTV journey began back in 2013 on Flip or Flop with Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa. Since then, he’s appeared on Christina on the Coast and The Flip Off with both Christina and Tarek’s new wife, Heather Rae El Moussa.

Battres has been open about the people who helped him along the way — especially Pastor Sonny Sr., a man who devoted his life to helping addicts get clean. In a moving Instagram post, Battres once wrote, “If it weren’t for Pastor Sonny, we wouldn’t be here today. Battres Construction wouldn’t exist. The lives we’ve built, the families we lead — it’s all because of him.”

Now, years removed from his darkest days, Battres wants people to know they matter. “I would tell my younger self, ‘I see you. You have purpose.’ Because I think that’s all anybody wants — to be seen.”