Chip and Joanna Gaines Spark Evangelical Firestorm but Progressives are Applauding

It was supposed to be another feel-good throwback from America’s favorite fixer-uppers. Instead, Chip and Joanna Gaines have landed in the middle of a culture war storm—and for once, they’re not retreating.

The controversy centers around Back to the Frontier, a reality series airing on HBO Max and Magnolia Network, in which three modern families live like 1880s homesteaders. Among the cast: Jason Hanna and Joe Riggs, a married gay couple from Texas, raising their twin boys without smartphones or central air.

The reaction from parts of the evangelical right was immediate and vitriolic. But this time, something unexpected happened: Chip Gaines pushed back.

“Judge first, understand later—or never,” Gaines posted online. “It’s a sad Sunday when non-believers say they’ve never known hate until they met an American Christian.”

For many LGBTQ Christians and progressive viewers, it was a rare and refreshing moment: a megachurch-affiliated celebrity calling out his own flock.

The show itself is unassuming—equal parts rustic and romantic. Families churn butter, sew clothing, and dig latrines. There’s no prize money, just pride. But one cast family, Hanna and Riggs, have become unlikely flashpoints.

By all accounts, they’re model participants. Jason, a financial planner, and Joe, a stay-at-home dad, spend their days chopping wood and teaching their boys to live without YouTube. There are no arguments, no overt displays of affection—nothing that might stir controversy.

And yet, controversy found them.

The moment Back to the Frontier premiered on July 10, right-wing influencers lit up social media.

“My kids used to love Magnolia,” wrote Joel Berry, editor at the Babylon Bee. “Now I can’t even let them watch.”

Franklin Graham, a longtime ally of the Gaineses, was more pointed: “This isn’t biblical. It’s cultural surrender.”

But what turned heads wasn’t the outrage—it was Chip Gaines’ response.

For years, the Gaineses have walked a tightrope between fame and faith. Their ties to Antioch Church, a Waco-based evangelical congregation that opposes same-sex marriage, once drew heavy criticism. In 2016, they faced backlash when Fixer Upper featured no LGBTQ couples.

At the time, the Gaineses stayed mostly silent. Not in 2025.

This time, Chip Gaines waded directly into the fight. He not only defended the couple’s inclusion but rebuked the evangelical response with scripture—1 Peter 3:15, calling for believers to explain their faith “with gentleness and respect.”

It was a line originally used against the Gaineses in 2016.

Now, Chip is using it against the gatekeepers of his own faith community.

“Talk, ask questions, listen… maybe even learn,” he wrote. “Too much to ask of modern Christian culture?”

Even Jimmy Seibert, pastor of Antioch Church, posted a vague but conciliatory message online. His words—“We welcome all, but stand on truth”—suggested an internal debate now brewing behind church walls.

For progressive Christians and LGBTQ people of faith, the Gaines’ stand—however subtle—feels like a breakthrough.

“I’ve never seen someone from that world speak out like this,” said Rev. Autumn Smith, a pastor at All Souls in Austin. “Especially not someone with this much influence.”

Even the usually cynical LGBTQ online spaces had moments of guarded praise.

“Is this… growth?” one user wrote on X. “From Chip & Joanna Gaines?”

Not everyone is convinced. Riley Gaines, a conservative commentator (no relation), fired off a series of angry posts accusing the couple of “abandoning Christian values for ratings.”

But to many observers, Back to the Frontier has done something rare: it’s sparked a real theological debate inside evangelicalism—rather than just across the political aisle.

According to insiders, HBO Max and Magnolia Network have no plans to pull the show. In fact, viewership has reportedly increased since the controversy began.

“We expected some pushback,” said a Magnolia spokesperson. “But we stand by the series. It’s about resilience, family, and community.”

As for Jason and Joe, they’ve remained quiet—focused, perhaps, on keeping their farmhouse upright and their kids entertained with sticks instead of screens.

If their family makes it to the end of the series, it will be because they built something lasting—not because they survived a culture war.

And maybe that’s the point.

For years, progressive Christians have begged their more famous brethren to speak up—to challenge the narrative that faith and equality are incompatible.

In 2025, with Donald Trump back in the White House and the far right emboldened, those voices have felt increasingly drowned out.

But now, Chip Gaines—home improvement guru, mega-brand founder, evangelical icon—is the one quoting scripture against hate.

It’s a small moment. But it matters.

It signals that change doesn’t always come from outside the system. Sometimes, it starts with a hammer, a Bible, and a little willingness to listen.

And for the queer kids raised on reruns of Fixer Upper, that’s more than just progress. It’s personal.