Chip Gaines is done playing nice with the self-righteous keyboard crusaders. The TV star and home-reno mogul is defending his latest show “Back to the Frontier” after backlash over the casting of a same-sex couple — and his message is loud and clear: love wins, haters can scroll on.
The show, which features Chip and his wife Joanna Gaines leading families into the rugged, Wi-Fi-free lifestyle of 1800s homesteaders, includes Jason Hanna and Joe Riggs — a married gay couple — and their 10-year-old twin sons. It didn’t take long for conservative critics, including evangelical darling Franklin Graham, to call the move “disappointing” and a “promotion of sin.”
But Chip, armed with both scripture and sass, isn’t here for the selective Bible-thumping. In a Sunday post, he clapped back at the outrage brigade, writing that it’s a “sad Sunday when ‘non believers’ have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian.” In a series of replies, he urged Christians to try “love one another” instead of their usual fire-and-brimstone routine.
Love Is the Frontier
For Hanna and Riggs, the inclusion was more than just airtime. It was a moment of visibility, especially vital in a media landscape that still tiptoes around queer family life. “Representation matters deeply — especially for those who are still finding the courage to live their truth,” Hanna posted. “Visibility isn’t just about being seen; it’s about making sure no one feels alone.”
That kind of representation on a major show — particularly one with a heartland audience — is a subtle but powerful challenge to long-held cultural norms. And Gaines, who’s faced LGBTQ-related scrutiny in the past due to his affiliation with an anti-gay church, is flipping the script in a very public way.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about one episode or even one family. It’s about normalizing queer families in spaces traditionally dominated by heteronormative ideals. It’s about showing that gay parents can chop wood, milk goats, and raise kind, resilient kids just as well as — if not better than — their straight counterparts.
A Cultural Shift in Cowboy Boots
Of course, the criticism hasn’t stopped. Some fans of the Gaines brand are clutching their pearls, insisting that the couple has “changed” or “betrayed” their values. But in response to one disappointed follower, Chip simply quoted the Bible: “Judge not.” Period.
The Gaineses aren’t waving rainbow flags from the barn roof, but in their own quietly subversive way, they’re doing something arguably more powerful — making LGBTQ lives part of the American narrative. The frontier, it turns out, has room for everyone.
For the LGBTQ community, especially families raising children in less accepting parts of the country, this kind of visibility is a lifeline. When queer parents see their lives reflected on screen — not as villains or victims but as loving, competent families — it’s a win. And when a guy like Chip Gaines has their back, it says something: We’re not going anywhere, and yes, we brought snacks.