Sad Details About The Lives Of HGTV Stars Drew & Jonathan Scott

In 2012, fresh-faced Canadian twins Drew and Jonathan Scott made their HGTV debut with their show "Property Brothers" and have since built an empire for themselves. In addition to their slate of "Property Brothers" programming on HGTV, which has expanded to include spinoff series like "Celebrity IOU" and "Backed By the Bros," the home renovation and real estate duo also helm their own home decor line, their namesake entertainment company, and more. It's no wonder that they are two of HGTV's richest stars. 

But besides having a fulfilling career, the brothers also have thriving personal lives. Drew has been married to wife Linda Phan since 2018, and they currently have two children together: Parker, born in 2022, and Piper Rae, born in 2024. Meanwhile, Jonathan is engaged to "New Girl" alum Zooey Deschanel, who he started dating in 2019. But everything isn't as rosy in the brothers' lives as it may seem on TV or social media. Drew and Jonathan have faced some hardships in their lives.

If you frequently watch Drew and Jonathan Scott's shows on HGTV, you might be familiar with their older brother, J.D. Scott, who sometimes makes guest appearances. While J.D. is in good health now, the eldest Scott brother previously battled a mystery illness for over a year, which likely was a scary time for the family.

In a July 2019 Instagram video, J.D. shared that he had been extremely sick for over a year, and during a hospital stay in 2018, he felt he was on his deathbed. "I thought I was dying, actually. It was really bad, and I was preparing all my estate," J.D. told his followers. Of his symptoms, he said he was "extremely sensitive to heat," and if the temperature was over 69 or 70 degrees, "I would suddenly feel like my skin is on fire, I'd start passing out, and I'd be out of commission for sometimes days."

One doctor suspected it could be lupus, while another claimed he had two brain aneurysms. But none of these diagnoses perfectly fit J.D.'s condition. In September 2019, J.D. finally got some clarity on his condition and shared with his fans on Instagram that he had been diagnosed with acute mercury poisoning. Upon receiving a proper diagnosis, he was able to start making progress toward recovery. In November 2019, he told Hollywood Life that he was almost fully recovered and feeling great.

Before becoming a famous TV contractor, Jonathan Scott worked as a magician, a feat he sometimes teases on Instagram. While working as a magician seems like a pretty nifty gig, it led him through serious financial struggles. In fact, Scott had to declare bankruptcy.

"I was dead set on making it as a success," he told People in August 2017 about his time as a magician, claiming he wanted to follow in the footsteps of magic legends like David Copperfield. Scott was so passionate about his craft that he spared no expense, recounting how he built props, had a custom-made trailer, and leased a truck for his work. But unfortunately, his props and equipment were stolen. "This person stole all my stuff. He essentially put me out of business. I couldn't perform, and I had all this debt still," Scott told the outlet. As a result, he filed for bankruptcy and was too embarrassed to tell his parents at the time.

While it did turn out to be a blessing in disguise as it prompted him to lean more into real estate, Scott says it was "the worst mistake financially of my life," claiming he could have probably paid the debt off within five to six years. However, he shared that he was experiencing severe depression, which led him to make the impulsive decision.

Similarly to his fiancee Zooey Deschanel, Jonathan Scott has also previously been married. In his and Drew Scott's memoir "It Takes Two: Our Story," he talks about the ugly end to his marriage and his ex-wife, who has since been identified as Kelsy Ully. In the book, Jonathan says that he and Ully met in 2007 and tied the knot later that year. Soon after, they moved to Las Vegas, where things started to go south when their different career paths caused them to drift apart — Jonathan was pursuing real estate and magic while she was working as a waitress and model. Despite going to marriage counseling, things still weren't looking up. At one point, Ully removed Jonathan from her Facebook relationship status, signaling that things were over.

Following their split, Jonathan seemingly was in a very dark place. "I've never shared much about the impact divorce had on me, because why put something so sad out there?" he wrote in the 2017 book. "The pain ended up outlasting the marriage. The split isn't something I dwell on anymore, but for one too-long, too-dark period of my life, that's practically all I did. It shook me right to the core." While he and Ully split in 2009, it wasn't until 2015 that Jonathan entered another serious relationship. He dated Jacinta Kuznetsov, a development producer at Scott Entertainment, but that relationship didn't work out either.

While most of Drew and Jonathan Scott's clients are thrilled with their work, not everyone has been satisfied. In May 2024, Las Vegas couple Paul and Mindy King, who appeared on "Property Brothers," made headlines for a lawsuit they had filed in January 2021 against Cineflix, the production company that once worked with the brothers and HGTV, as well as some of the contractors who worked on their home. In the suit, they claimed that Cineflix wasn't licensed in Nevada at the time to perform work on their home and that they hired inexperienced contractors, which resulted in shoddy work.

The couple, who paid approximately $200,000 for their home renovation, noted that the sewer was leaking sludge into their kitchen, the sink at their island bar fell in, their outdoor stove had the wrong-sized pipe and gas line, and their dishwasher and kitchen sink's plumbing had gone haywire, causing mold and residue to form in the dishwasher. In fact, the couple claimed that the Southern Nevada Health District tested that mold and it came back positive for harmful bacteria.

While the brothers are not named in the lawsuit, the Kings have considered adding them. At the very least, this experience has altered their opinion of Drew and Jonathan. "They're living their lifestyle based off of people like us, that put our trust into them," Mindy King told 8 News Now.

While Drew Scott and wife Linda Phan currently have two beautiful children, starting a family together didn't come easy to them. Months after sharing the news that they were expecting, Scott opened up to People in 2022 about how difficult and confusing it was to get pregnant. "I think for us, the whole thing was we were so lost. We were trying for years; we wanted to have kids for years with no success," he said. Scott noted that there was an extra level of difficulty for them as Phan suffers from Graves disease, an autoimmune disorder that can cause hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid. Fortunately, with the help of their fertility endocrinologist, they were able to understand Phan's condition better and restrategize their approach, which included intrauterine insemination (IUI) and IVF treatments.

In a December 2021 joint Instagram post discussing their first pregnancy, the couple wrote: "It has been an adventure to get here! We know we're not alone in this experience and that everyone's is filled with unique challenges along the way." They praised their doctors for all the help and support, adding, "It made an overwhelming time in our lives more manageable."

Jonathan Scott is a dog person, and luckily for him, he found love with fellow dog lover Zooey Deschanel, who has two pups of her own. However, the HGTV star has faced his fair share of loss when it comes to his own dogs and has had to say goodbye to all of his fur babies too soon.

In 2022, Scott shared the heartbreaking news that he had lost his Yorkshire terrier, Stewie. "Said goodbye to my sweet Stewie today," he wrote on Instagram alongside a bevy of photos of his late dog. "He brought joy to my life for over 13 years and that will continue in all our fond memories." In addition to Stewie, Scott also had a chihuahua named Gracie, who passed away in February 2024. "I'm heartbroken," he wrote on Instagram at the time. "My sweet Gracie passed away last night. What a wonderful 17 years you gave me. You're always in my heart."

In a 2012 interview with Modern Dog, Scott shared that Gracie was his first dog but knew he wanted two. "I brought Gracie with me to check out our options, and she wouldn't socialize with anyone but Stewie. They were instantly inseparable." He also shared that before Gracie, he had another Yorkshire terrier named Gizmo, who was 2.5 pounds. "Unfortunately, he was fragile, and he passed away," Scott shared.