Chip and Joanna Gaines Talk Their Relationship and Ending Fixer Upper: "We Didn't Want to Push It"

During an interview with Savannah Guthrie, the HGTV stars opened up about their reasons for leaving the show

By Elyse Dupre Oct 17, 2017 2:41 PMTags

After Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines announced they were ending their HGTV hit Fixer Upper, people started to wonder if there was trouble in paradise. In an interview on Today, Chip set the record straight on his relationship with Joanna and their reasons for leaving the show.

"I'll give [viewers] a little credence. There is always ‘What's next?' And for us, the most important thing in the world is Jo and I's relationship, followed very quickly by these four beautiful kids," Chip told Today anchor Savannah Guthrie. "And we didn't want to push it, red line it, for so long that we woke up and realized, we are at a point of no return. So, we wanted to take a step back and focus on the thing that was absolutely the most important thing to us in the world, which is Jo and I's relationship."

"And it's funny," he continued. "People in our inner circle, I tell them, we're as healthy as we've ever been. I just didn't want to continue pushing this envelope to the fullest extent. And I'm, you know, we're really thankful we have the opportunity to sort of step back and take a break."

Joanna also cited their "growing family" as a reason for making season five their last. The couple have four kids: Drake, 12; Ella, 11; Duke, 9 and Emmie Kay, 7. Still, Chip admitted that the show wasn't the "get-rich-quick scheme" he originally thought it would be.

"Nobody knows when you get into something like this…But when we got into this, you know, because I'm an idiot, I thought this was like a get rich quick scheme," he said. "So I was like, ‘Sweet! They think we could work about eight hours a month, and supposedly you end up with all these riches when this is all said and done.' Unfortunately, it's not quite that easy, and the emotion and the amount of energy that it takes to kind of pour something like this together....I can't speak on anybody else's behalf. But I know for Jo and I, we wanted it to be the real deal. We wanted it to be authentic, legit, sincere. And I think that's why people were drawn to it."

read
The Fixer Upper Empire: Everything Chip and Joanna Gaines Have Built Since Their Television Debut

Joanna and Chip announced they were leaving the show in a video on Oct. 11. The couple have built an empire from their HGTV hit. In addition to the show, they have their home improvement business, their Magnolia Market store, their magazine The Magnolia Journal and retail collaborations, including a partnership with Target. Chip also wrote a book called Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff.

Although Chip said they were "excited about this break," it doesn't seem like the couple has ruled out TV completely. When Guthrie asked Chip if they'd ever do another show, he responded with "Who knows?"

read
Why Fixer Upper's Chip and Joanna Gaines Are Choosing Family Over Fame

It also looks like we're not the only ones heartbroken over Fixer Upper coming to an end.

"I knew my mom was going to be upset. When she found out, she's got this little Bunko crew that she runs with, and she said they asked her to leave….So, that was a bit sad," Chip quipped at the top of the interview.

Watch the video to see the full interview.

The final season of Fixer Upper debuts Nov. 28.

(E! and NBC News are part of NBCUniversal).