Fixer Upper officially ended its run on television earlier this year, but Chip and Joanna Gaines have done a great job of staying in the spotlight ever since. Unfortunately, their latest spotlight grabbing moment isn't a great one as the couple recently settled its dispute with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and were fined $40,000 for broadcasting unsafe home renovation practices on their show. The Fixer Upper family is paying the price after various episodes of the show featured unsafe removal of lead paint in homes the couple remodeled.
The EPA, which first notified Magnolia Homes of its complaint three years ago, reviewed episodes of Fixer Upper for its case and found that while renovating 33 homes for the series, the couple did not take the proper required precautions in removing lead-based paint from walls. The Gaines had multiple violations regarding the removal process, including not properly covering floors and vents from paint chips and violating other statutes in place that are important in renovating homes built before 1978. The EPA reported the Gaines' company, Magnolia Homes, agreed on paying the $40,000 civil fine for the violations and had aired a segment on how to properly remove lead paint in an episode back in March. Chip Gaines also took to Twitter during the episode to provide fans with additional resources regarding the proper way to remove lead-based paint:
The $40,000 fine and news that some Fixer Upper homes weren't being renovated in a safe manner isn't great PR for Chip and Joanna Gaines, although the couple has spun the announcement around rather nicely. In addition to the fine, the Gaines are personally making amends by spending $160,000 on a lead-paint abatement program that will help remove paint from homes and child-occupied facilities in Waco, Texas. The couple will also make a stand-alone video on lead-paint removal and safety within the next 90 days and post it on their homepage and social media for fans to see. It all seems like a lot of effort and a hefty price to pay, although when measured up against the $556,000 in fines the company could've been forced to pay out by the EPA, it's a good trade-off for the Gaines.
Fixer Upper fans who are eagerly awaiting the couple's lead-paint safety video can quench their home improvement thirst in the meantime with reruns on HGTV and Hulu. For a look at upcoming shows available on streaming platforms, be sure to check out our Amazon and Netflix premiere guides. Those just wishing to find some great television in general regardless of where it is can visit our summer premiere guide. For more Fixer Upper drama folks may have missed, be sure to read up on the time a drunk driver crashed into one of the couple's renovated homes.
