6 HGTV Hosts Who Are Members Of The LGBTQ Community

Many of us have taken interior design inspiration from HGTV stars, who take on both the most daunting of fixer-uppers in addition to designing their own stunning homes. This list of HGTV hosts serves as another source of inspiration for audience members who are a part of the LGBTQ community. Whether you knew it already or not, shows like "My Lottery Dream Home," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," and "Inside Out" have featured LGBTQ hosts. Even with cameras documenting their skilled craftsmanship and design skills, many of these HGTV stars live surprisingly normal lives, spending time off-screen with loved ones and staying down-to-earth. 

While stars of the home renovation network aren't allowed to be controversial in terms of their behavior — one of many rules HGTV hosts are forced to follow — that hasn't stopped these hosts from living life authentically. The HGTV hosts we've included on our list balance work and family while raising awareness and advocating for fellow members of the LGBTQ community. From their homes to our television screens, these HGTV stars have really made their mark.

HGTV host, designer, and producer Brian Patrick Flynn goes all out on everything, including both his interior designs and personal celebrations. Before his winter wonderland wedding in Antarctica (yes, Antarctica), Flynn made a name for himself as a beloved designer and television personality (per Harper's Bazaar). The Atlanta-based designer has appeared on "HGTV Dream Home" and "HGTV Urban Oasis," and he's also appeared on the Magnolia Network program "Mind for Design" (via HGTV). While his interior design creations are beautiful, his gorgeous arctic wedding with costume designer Hollis Smith was truly something to behold. 

The two tied the knot near the South Pole in 2018 — however, the trip was initially planned as Flynn's 40th birthday celebration, as reported by Harper's Bazaar. "About three months after paying for it, I started to think that we should get married," Flynn told the outlet following their nuptials. "I said to him randomly, '[H]ow do you feel about us getting married in Antarctica?'" The couple now lives in Atlanta in a midcentury home of Flynn's own design (per Atlanta Magazine). Though the two are constantly busy with work, Flynn calls their Atlanta home their "forever house," and indicated that it was the perfect place for them to be between jobs (via Atlanta Magazine).

Carmine Sabatella's journey to finding the love of his life is perhaps even more compelling than his head-to-head design challenges against co-star Mike Pyle on HGTV's "Inside Out" (per IMDb). The realtor/landscape and interior designer added other valuable titles to his Instagram profile, including "Dad & Husband." Years ago, before HGTV, Sabatella was married to a woman whose identity has remained private (per Meaww). The two share a daughter, Giannae, but eventually divorced in 2006. However, that didn't stop Sabatella from basking in fatherhood and going on to meet the love of his life. Sabatella met his now-husband, Ryan Declair, when he began working at the real estate company Compass in 2015 (per Meaww). 

Sabatella isn't only proud to be an out gay man — he's also proud to be a "gay dad" and recounted what Pride Month meant to him — while gushing about his daughter — on Instagram in 2021. In the post, Sabatella wrote, "People often ask me how it is to be a gay dad? Its [sic] Pride month and being a gay dad means many things to me." He added a sweet anecdote about his daughter, saying, "I came home the other day and Gianna said, 'dad, I got my report card, all A's!' This kid amazes me every day. She will be a junior next year and I couldn't [b]e more proud of all that she is!" Between family, real estate, and television, it seems Sabatella sure has his hands full!

When you think of HGTV, Jesse Tyler Ferguson may not be the first celebrity who comes to mind. You probably remember him best from ABC's sitcom "Modern Family," but Ferguson has also dabbled in design and home renovation as the host of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (per HGTV). Ferguson is no stranger to the world of television —  the actor has been nominated for five primetime Emmy awards (via IMDb). He was brought on to host the reboot of the mega-popular show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" in 2019 ahead of the show's 2020 return (per HGTV). 

The show aired for one season, and Ferguson has since returned to his acting roots. Most recently, the actor has turned to the stage in the Broadway play "Take Me Out," according to Playbill. The Tony-award-winning play follows a major league baseball player who comes out as LGBTQ (per Playbill). On Instagram, Ferguson took a snapshot of Pride-themed playbills with the simple caption: "Happy Pride!" The actor, who is openly gay, has been married to actor and producer Justin Mikita since 2013. The two share a son, Beckett, and recently announced they're expecting their second child later this year (via Page Six).

David Bromstad is a certified HGTV legend. His IMDb page outlines his scores of appearances on the network, including his time as the first winner of "Design Star" — though his trajectory to ending up in interior design is surprising. Did you know he used to be an animator for Disney? The seasoned HGTV host has made a name for himself starring in shows like "Color Splash," "Rock the Block," and "My Lottery Dream Home," and he has always been proud of his identity. 

In fact, many of his tattoos are Pride-themed. In an Instagram post, Bromstad shared how the LGBTQ community holds a special place in his heart, all while showing off some ink. The caption for the post reads: "Pride! More tatts to express how much I love my community, my family. The dabbing unicorn was just to[o] cute and hilarious not to get! The 'poppin good' scratch and sniff sticker brings me back to my childhood and my [family's] love for popcorn." Bromstad has been open about being gay, and being a proud member of the LGBT community, throughout his career (per Distractify).

PJ and Thomas McKay, the self-described "Property Lovers," have taken HGTV by storm as the network's first husband-and-husband fixer-uppers (per HGTV). The show follows the couple through their hometown of Chattanooga as they "bring beauty and value to even the most dilapidated homes" (via HGTV). PJ and Thomas understood how monumental it would be for such a popular network like HGTV to have an LGBTQ couple host one of its shows. On Instagram, the pair wrote: "If this show succeeds, it could be huge for the LGBTQ community because this is the first show of its kind on HGTV." 

Now that their show is a proven success, they've been able to spend time basking in the opportunities that have come along, while still prioritizing their family. They wrote in another Instagram post: "We've spent years trying to define Pride with words, but this year, this is what Pride looks like to us: A family that didn't seem possible growing up; one that seemed as far off as the moon, but now feels as normal and natural as breathing. Happy #Pride y'all, from our family to yours." Included in the sweet snap are PJ and Thomas' three children, who they adopted after fostering the children since 2019 (via Out).