Summary

• Chip and Joanna Gaines built their empire from the ground up, starting with their first business in 2003
• Despite their success, family always comes first for the Gaines. They prioritize spending time together and keeping their kids grounded.
• The Gaines family enjoys vacationing together, from beach trips to international adventures. They value creating lasting memories as a family.

Chip and Joanna Gaines helped put HGTV on the map. Their series, Fixer Upper became the most popular show on the network and drew a huge audience.

The couple truly built their empire from the ground up. They opened their first business, Magnolia Market, in Waco, Texas in 2003 after borrowing $5,000.

While they were building their business, they were also building a family. They have five children: Drake, Ella, Duke, Emmie, and Crew. The Gaines family live in a beautiful (of course) Victorian-style home in Crawford, Texas, a suburb of Waco. The house is nicknamed "The Farmhouse". They have a huge amount of land where their kids can run and play.

Early on, Joanna learned design, and soon she and Chip began flipping houses together. The couple made a good team, with Chip in charge of building and Joanna's creative touch for interior decorating and design.

This super couple somehow finds a way to balance the empire they have built and their family life, even if fans have noticed a shift in their relationship as of late.

Updated August 2024: Chip and Joanna Gaines are still adjusting to not having their oldest son, Drake Gaines, at home. But having Drake away at college while having Crew Gaines at home, who is only six, has helped the couple realize not to take for granted the time they have with him and their other kids, Drake, Ella, and Emmie Gaines.

8 How Chip And Joanna Gaines Got On HGTV

Year Fixer Upper Debuted: 2013

Chip and Joanna were flipping homes in Waco when producer Katie Neff from HGTV saw Joanna's design blog. When she called Joanna about filming a reality show, where the final reveal would leave families with "empty" homes, Chip thought it was a prank call. Joanna did not listen to her husband, and returned the call.

Soon, Fixer Upper was born and the couple began to amass their massive net worth. The duo was comfortable on camera and had a quirkiness that viewers loved, in spite of how different the couple is during the breaks on the show. Fixer Upper was a huge hit.

The couple had four of their five "kiddos" before they became reality stars. Their youngest son, Crew was born in 2018.

7 How Chip And Joanna Gaines Parent Their Kids

Years Kids Were Born: Drake Gaines, 2005; Ellie Gaines, 2006; Duke Gaines, 2008; Emmie Gaines, 2010; Crew Gaines, 2018

The couple strives to keep their kids down to earth, and not caught up in being the children of celebrities.

Chip told People that he always thought he would be a "wild parent" but when he became a dad he found himself on the stricter side. "I feel a little bit like a drill sergeant sometimes," he said. "Some elements of my personality, as a parent, I'm not real crazy about."

Joanna turned out to be the opposite. "It's funny, I'm a little more laid back than I thought I'd be," she said.

One decision the couple made was not to have a TV in their home, keep their iPad time down to a minimum, and no cell phones until college.

Joanna told Southern Living what the rule for screentime is in their house.

"Our rule for the iPad is that the kids can use it a certain amount of time every other day."

She went on to say, "It’s contingent on them doing their chores and homework. I try hard to make it not the thing they look forward to every day. I don’t want them focusing on that."

6 Chip And Joanna Gaines Put Family First

Chip and Joanna Gaines include their kids when possible in their five businesses

The Gaines have multiple successful businesses and work hard at them. But their intention is to always put their family first.

"They always eat meals together at the table and their family nights include games like cards and checkers, then bedtime stories and prayers," an insider explained.

"For the record: If there’s ever a need with my family, I’ll shut this circus down so fast it will make your head spin," Chip explained. "But Jo and I believe that with God, anything is possible, including having an amazing family and a career you love."

Some of the businesses that Chip and Joanna own include:

Despite owning these businesses as well as the Magnolia Network, the children are the Gaines' top priority.

5 Chip And Joanna Gaines Had A Scary Moment With Duke Gaines

Duke Gaines wandered off from Chip Gaines when they were at a flea market

All parents are scared of their children wandering off. Chip had that moment and realized what the cost of fame sometimes is. Duke wandered off only 10 yards ahead of his dad while they were at a flea market. Fans realized who he was and swarmed the little boy.

"And so I was basically on my way to kind of gobble him up and get him back into a safe place, and at about that same second, I was surrounded by this group of people," Chip explained on Today.

"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 with in a typical situation."

Chip continued, "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."

4 Chip And Joanna Gaines Were Excited And Surprised To Welcome Crew To The Gaines Family

Crew Gaines was born to Chip and Joanna Gaines on June 23, 2018

Chip announced that they were having baby number five via tweet in 2018.

"You might recall a few months back.. the ever amazing, ever romantic @JOHNNYSWIM was in Waco. And they put on a little too romantic of a concert.. anyways, one thing led to another, & we are officially pregnant. And I could not be more EXCITED! #5 #7ThePerfectNumber."

The pregnancy was a bit of a surprise for the couple, but they were thrilled.

Although not exactly planned, Crew came at the perfect time. Chip and Jo had just announced that they were ending Fixer Upper, so they had more time to spend with their now-growing family.

"Mom and Dad and older siblings are thrilled to have Crew around. This boy is going to be able to run the company by age 5!"

She also says that their older children are "obsessed" with their little brother.

3 What The Older Gaines Kids Like To Do

Drake Gaines, Duke Gaines, Ella Gaines, and Emmie Gaines all have different interests including sports, baking, gardening, and more

The four older Gaines siblings each have their own personalities and interests.

When Drake was younger he always liked to get involved with the production of their TV shows. But as he got older, his interests changed to sports. As such, baseball and water sports became his main interests.

Ella Gaines is the eldest daughter and the one Joanna says is the most like her mom, “I think she’ll follow in my footsteps and have her hand in a lot of things," she told People. This appears to be true as, per the publication, Ella spends her summers baking to make money and sells those treats at the family's bakery.

Duke Gaines loves hanging out with his brothers. He preferred being behind the camera instead of in front of it when the kids made appearances on the show. Duke is also the comic of the group.

Emmie Gaines likes to cook and bake with her mom. In 2020, she helped Joanna record her audiobook, The World Needs Who You Were Made To Be. And just like her big sister, she enjoys baking and selling those baked goods for some pocket change.

2 How Chip And Joanna Gaines Like To Family Vacation

Even after Drake Gaines was in college the entire family was able to vacation together in Mexico and South Kores

Chip and Joanna love family time with their kids. In August 2022, the Gaines crew took a family trip to the beach, which Joanna shared on her Instagram Stories.

They enjoyed playing in the water and hanging out on the dock. There were pictures of Crew climbing and Joanna commented, "I'm more of a 'lay on the beach-er' than a hiker. This boy can walk and climb for hours..."

The family also played volleyball and in the waves. Crew even "thanked" the waves for "washing their feet."

In 2023, the family took a trip to Mexico. The vacation was a relaxing one, as Joanna posted on Instagram that the group "explored, played, and rested."

The same year, the family took a trip to South Korea so that the kids could see where Joanna's family hailed from.

1 Chip And Joanna Gaines' Oldest Son Drake Gaines Is In College

Drake Gaines left for college in 2022 but what school he attends has not been disclosed

The Gaines' oldest son Drake left for college in 2022. That milestone left Joanna sad and wistful when the moment came to say goodbye.

Joanna wrote an essay in Magnolia Journal before Drake left.

Soon, our oldest son, Drake, will be leaving home for college," Joanna wrote. "In the grand scheme of heartbreaking things, this one comes with a lot of gratitude and excitement."

"But still, my first child is moving away, and our family dynamic will change because of it, and that can feel like a loss of its own."

Joanna went on to say, "I catch glimpses now of what that life will look like and wonder if — or how many times — that might bring me to the floor.”

She also said in a post that she , "...tried my darnedest to savor the moments along the way – but dang they were right, it happened so fast.” But she also says that she is grateful for the growth.

In September 2023, Drake returned home for a visit from college. While Joanna and Chip attended Baylor University, they have not disclosed where Drake goes to school. But, to welcome their oldest home, Joanna baked up a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. How long the visit lasted was not clear but what was clear was that Joanna and Chip were happy to have their oldest home, even if just briefly.