Josh And Christina Hall's HGTV Drama Amid Messy Divorce, Explained

While Christina Hall's divorce from former co-host Tarek El Moussa ranks as one of the biggest controversies to rock HGTV, the "Christina on the Coast" star's split from Josh Hall is shaping up to be an even messier scandal. As a lawyer reports that Christina's third divorce will cost her big, much of the nasty drama surrounding the separation has been playing out in the public eye, with Christina's public jabs at her ex wearing thin on HGTV fans.

Christina and Josh started dating in March 2021, going public with their relationship in July and announcing their engagement in September. Despite public criticism about the fast-moving romance, the two secretly tied the knot in October 2021, with E! News reporting on the covert nuptials in April 2022. Christina and Josh did host a formal ceremony in September 2022, taking to Hawaii to exchange vows in front of their friends and family.

Over the years, Josh has become an established part of Christina's HGTV brand both on-camera and behind-the-scenes. The two founded Unbroken Productions together, producing "Christina in the Country" and the later seasons of "Christina on the Coast," while Josh made regular appearances on both programs. The duo was also slated to headline "The Flip Off" opposite Tarek and Heather El Moussa. With Christina and Josh filing for divorce in July 2024, all of this long-time collaboration came to a screeching halt.

The news of Josh and Christina Hall's separation broke on July 16 when TMZ reported that Josh had filed for divorce on July 12, noting the date of dissolution as July 8 and citing "irreconcilable differences" in the relationship. The real estate agent made some notable petitions in his filing, requesting alimony from Christina and asking that assets be divided as they were before the marriage. As for the HGTV and Discovery Network programs that the couple produced together, Josh requested exclusive rights to the content in his petition.

Meanwhile, Christina filed for divorce and submitted a request for order on July 23. While the HGTV star also cited "irreconcilable differences," she notably marked the date of dissolution as July 7, a day earlier than Josh. Christina requested ownership of the Newport Beach residence that the couple purchased together in May 2022, arguing that sole access was necessary to protect her children from any relationship fallout. "I do not want to have a situation where there is a misunderstanding or any conflict, especially in front of my children," she said (via Business Insider).

As for the alimony that Josh requested in his filing, Christina rejected the idea that Josh would require long-term support. "Like all hard-working mothers, my life revolves around my children and my work," she wrote. "It is my understanding that Josh has his own income, and therefore, he should not need any spousal support from me. He has sufficient assets of his own to pay his own attorney's fees and costs." Still, this wasn't the biggest issue raised in the filing.

When filing for divorce, Christina Hall accused her estranged spouse, Josh Hall, of mishandling funds and requested that she be repaid. "Josh was able to divert over $35,000 of my separate property rental income into his account," she wrote in the filing, per Entertainment Weekly, explaining that he had contacted the manager of her rental properties on July 8 and asked that payments from the month of June be transferred to a different account.

The "Christina on the Coast" host pointed out that July 8 was the date of dissolution noted by Josh in his filing and suggested that this was purposefully deceptive on his part, as her own filing lists July 7 as the date of dissolution. "I would not have asked him to send himself my money the day after I told him we are getting divorced" (via Business Insider). Josh responded to these claims in a request for order filed on August 29, explaining that the diversion of funds was not for personal use but to manage the properties in question.

"I made this request because I needed access to the rental income so I could continue to pay ongoing expenses and responsibilities related to the properties, which I directly handle," he wrote. The Texas-based realtor asserted that Christina removed him from their joint bank account and revoked access to the LLC account connected to the rental properties. Josh also took issue with how his estranged spouse was handling the financial matter. "Christina is a savvy businesswoman and is intricately involved in all our financial matters," he wrote. "Her purported lack of knowledge as to the management of this LLC is asinine" (via InTouch).

The sum of $35,000 wasn't the only issue that Josh Hall discussed in his RFO, as he also referenced the much-anticipated show "The Flip Off." While Josh was originally slated to compete with Christina Hall against Tarek and Heather El Moussa on the program, the El Moussas spoke to E! News about the fate of the show shortly after the Hall divorce filings. "Production is still going as planned ... without Josh," Heather told the outlet, with the couple's take on Christina's divorce hinting at how Tarek really feels about Josh.

This assertion has been corroborated by Josh's absence from subsequent promotional material and a source who confirmed to Us Weekly that he is no longer part of the show. Even so, the former police officer seemed to take issue with this fact in his court document. "During our marriage, Christina and I worked together as a team on many projects and businesses," Josh wrote in documents obtained by InTouch. "Unfortunately, Christina's new narrative is that I did 'nothing' and I deserve nothing." He went on to add that he believes his estranged spouse is "also seeking to have me removed from a contractual agreement we entered into for the production of a new HGTV show 'The Flip Off.'"

While Josh appears to be interested in maintaining a stake in "The Flip Off," possibly on-screen or simply via the couple's shared production company, Christina has already expressed opposition about working with another ex. "I can't work with any more exes. I already work with Tarek," she said in a Backgrid video after a fan suggested bringing her ex-husband Ant Anstead onto the show (via People). "Maybe season two."

The drama surrounding Christina and Josh Hall's divorce hasn't been contained to court documents, as the "Christina in the Country" star has vented her frustrations on Instagram. She first took to social media on July 25, posting a statement to her story that seemingly referenced Josh's request for spousal support in his divorce filing. "I have worked my ass off to build this life for myself and my children and anyone who would try and take what they do not deserve/what they did NOT work for should be ashamed," the HGTV host wrote, per People. "An insecure man with a large ego can sure try and derail you — but 'still [I] rise.'"

Christina added that divorces take time and that this particular one is "personal." Meanwhile, Josh seemingly responded to the scamming claims with an Instagram post of his own. "I prefer privacy, especially during something as life-changing as a divorce I did not ask for," he captioned a selfie with his dog on August 2. "I will not publicly badmouth anyone as people have families, friends, and others who respect and love them. Unfortunately, the internet is forever."

While Josh clearly wants to keep the details of the divorce private, his estranged spouse has had no qualms about making public references to the drama. Not only has Christina since doubled down on money-hungry claims about Josh, but she's also shared an Instagram story stating how much her life has improved recently. "If you've ever lost peace and gained it back there is a new level of gratitude for every single moment of life," she wrote on August 9 (via Today).

As of September 4, 2024, documents show that Christina and Josh Hall reached a temporary settlement on several matters in their divorce proceeding. Perhaps most notably, Josh agreed to pay back "the remaining funds in his possession" of the $35,000 that Christina alleged he diverted from her bank account while the HGTV star has been ordered to pay her estranged spouse an "uncharacterized and unallocated sum" of $100,000 (per Business Insider). According to the documents, Josh is allowed to use the payment for any purpose, including financial needs related to the divorce.

As for the couple's properties, Christina has been granted sole access to the Newport Beach residence, a stipulation that Josh previously agreed to, while Josh has access to the Franklin, Tennessee property. The former "Flip or Flop" host also has exclusive access to the Nashville properties and ownership of the formerly shared California and Tennessee LLCs, marking a promising agreement between the separated spouses.