HGTV Star Chip Gaines' Out-Of-Touch Take On Money Totally Backfires

Despite facing financial struggles before finding success as a reality star on HGTV's mega-hit "Fixer Upper," Chip Gaines seems to have developed a somewhat out-of-touch perspective on money. While speaking to People in 2020, his wife, Joanna Gaines, revealed that they used to struggle financially even though Chip was already flipping houses at the time. "I remember when we first got married, the only money we had was what was in Chip's pocket," she recalled.

Fast forward to 2024, and Chip seems to have forgotten the trouble he used to be in. The HGTV star took to his X, formerly Twitter, account to share his take on Scott Drew, the head basketball coach at Baylor University, who was rumored to be considering an offer from the Kentucky Wildcats. It all started when Barstool Kentucky, a sports account, posted a humorous tweet suggesting that Chip and Joanna should be kept away from Drew. 

Following that, a Kentucky-based basketball fan jokingly remarked, "You don't wanna go band for band with us, Chip." He responded, "Money is boring [...] Everybody's got money. We've got God on our side," accompanied by an eye-rolling and winking emoji. While Chip was attempting to imply that Drew's decision wouldn't be solely based on a higher salary, his attempt at humor backfired, drawing criticism from many users for its perceived ignorance.

Following Chip Gaines' controversial take on money, numerous users on X vehemently slammed the reality star for being so out of touch. "[Your] tweet is tone deaf to all the suffering because people don't have money," one person wrote, while another pointed out, "The majority of people in this country worry about money because they don't have enough of it." In an effort to rectify the situation, the HGTV star offered to send $100 to any X user in need who followed his assistant's page, @AssistingChip, on the platform. 

Chip responded to several critical tweets by providing instructions on how to obtain the money, along with the hashtag #makeKindnessLoud. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Chip and Joanna Gaines' estimated combined wealth is $50 million, indicating that the $100 donations likely won't make any significant impact on their finances. Despite the controversy, the Gaines have a history of philanthropy, having donated over a million dollars to St. Jude's Children's Hospital in 2019. 

Furthermore, if you pre-ordered a copy of Chip's book, "No Pains, No Gaines," in March 2021, it may have made you richer. The "Fixer Upper" alum revealed on Instagram that he had secretly put $1,000 checks in 10 of the books as a sweet gesture to his fans. While Chip may find money boring, he at least appears to be generous with it when it comes to giving back.