The humiliating reason Christina Haack’s HGTV show has been canceled… after THOSE vacation groping photos
Christina Haack’s show, Christina on the Coast, has been axed by HGTV – three months after PDA-filled photos of the couple were made public.
The 42-year-old reality star’s boyfriend, Christopher Larocca, was caught groping her chest and getting handsy with her during their Cabo, Mexico, resort vacation back in April, as seen in photos exclusively obtained by the Daily Mail.
Still, HGTV’s decision not to renew the show for a sixth season is not as surprising as it seems, according to a source who exclusively spoke to the Daily Mail about the cancelation that was part of the network’s recent brutal cancelation bloodbath.
According to the source, the humiliating reason why her show won’t be coming back was because it did not make enough money to afford her six-figure paycheck.
The insider revealed to the Daily Mail that Haack was earning ‘roughly $110,000 per episode.’
‘Christina was grossly overpaid and with HGTV needing to cut back on costs, they couldn’t afford to keep paying one of their biggest stars what she was making, so ultimately decided to cancel her show,’ the source explained.
Christina Haack’s HGTV show, Christina on the Coast, has been canceled after five seasons amid the network’s brutal cancelation bloodbath
A source revealed to the Daily Mail that the main reason was because she was ‘grossly overpaid’ and alleged she made ‘roughly $110,000 per episode’
The announcement of Christina’s show being canceled comes after intimate photos of the reality star being groped by her boyfriend, Christopher Larocca, on vacation were made public in April
The source also said the same thought process went into the cancelation of her ex Tarek El Moussa’s show, The Flipping El Moussas, since he was also ‘grossly overpaid’ and was making about the same amount of money per episode as Haack.
The Flipping El Moussas, which features El Moussa’s wife Heather El Moussa, premiered in March 2023 and aired its season two finale in March of this year.
A second source told the Daily Mail that HGTV was ‘looking at the most expensive TV personalities’ on the network when it came to making budget cuts, and given El Moussa and Haack’s ‘low six figures per episode’ paycheck plus their shows being ‘too expensive to produce,’ it was a double whammy and they got axed.
The source added that while it ‘came down to money’, HGTV also decided to ‘pull the plug’ due to their spinoff shows becoming more ‘drama’ focused and not focused on home renovation.
‘HGTV wants the focus of shows to be home renovation with some drama, not the other way around,’ they explained. ‘Neither show was working and that wasn’t going to change. So they had to pull the plug.
‘It’s no secret that HGTV is trying to remain profitable, and their shows just weren’t profitable.’
The first source noted that what is profitable is the two HGTV stars working together on The Flip Off, since ‘Christina and Tarek are more marketable as a team.’
‘The network loved the idea of The Flip Off from the start and they believed that would be the future for Christina and Tarek,’ the source shared.
Tarek El Moussa’s show, The Flipping El Moussas, is also not returning due to the TV personality being ‘grossly overpaid’. A source told the Daily Mail that while it ‘came down to money’, HGTV also decided to ‘pull the plug’ on Tarek and Christina’s shows due to their spinoffs becoming more ‘drama’ focused and not focused on home renovation
A source told the Daily Mail that El Moussa and Haack working together is ‘more marketable’ than them having separate shows, which is why The Flip Off is expected to film a second season
The source continued: ‘Especially after ratings delivered and fans loved seeing them together again, the future of the exes is with The Flip Off – that’s what HGTV is banking on’
‘Especially after ratings delivered and fans loved seeing them together again, the future of the exes is with The Flip Off – that’s what HGTV is banking on.’
Season 2 of The Flip Off has not yet been announced, but the Daily Mail learned it is in the works.
‘Production has not yet begun, but it’s 95 percent a done deal,’ the first source said.
Meanwhile, the second source added that the network wants to keep this duo on screen, ‘It just has to be the right project.’
Haack and El Moussa’s divorce was finalized in January 2018 – a year after El Moussa initially filed. They were married for eight years and welcomed two children together: Taylor, 14, and Brayden, 9.
‘It’s not to say that Christina and Tarek can’t have spinoffs again in the future,’ the source continued. ‘Things can change down the road, but for now, the network is crossing their fingers that The Flip Off [Season 2] will be just as successful’.
HGTV, Haack and El Moussa have not responded to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
This is not the first cancellation for Haack. Earlier this year, she was told her other show, Christina in the Country, would not be returning for a third season.
El Moussa and Haack amicably co-parent two children – son Brayden, 9, and daughter Taylor, 14 – following their 2018 divorce after eight years of marriage (pictured June 10 with Heather Rae El Moussa, far right)
On Sunday, Haack took to her Instagram to break silence on the most recent cancellation.
She shared a series of snaps which included spending lots of time with Larocca, and her three children – she shares Hudson, 5, with second husband Ant Anstead.
Her caption read: ‘Summer so far. Basically just eating and laughing. Canceled looks good on me… Only kidding only kidding.’
Our first source claimed that Haack wasn’t totally blindsided over the news and that she had a feeling it was coming.
‘The reason why she has been milking her divorce and doing press about it, is because she’s trying to stay relevant and show the network that fans are still interested in not just her professional life but also personal life,’ the source claimed.
‘Her career was in trouble and it’s not something she was blindsided by.’
Haack’s third husband, Josh Hall, filed for divorce in July 2024. The pair reached a settlement around early May.
In a statement published May 2, Haack’s representative told People, ‘Christina is pleased to confirm that a settlement has been reached through mediation. She extends her sincere appreciation to her attorney, Laura Wasser, and her team for their professional guidance and support throughout the process.’
A source told the Daily Mail that Haack wasn’t totally blindsided over the news of her show being canceled and that she had a feeling it was coming
The reality star spoke out over the weekend following the unfortunate news. She shared a series of photos of her ‘summer so far’ – one of which featured her boyfriend, Chris Larocca
She also shared photos with her children and captioned it: ‘Summer so far. Basically just eating and laughing. Canceled looks good on me… Only kidding only kidding’
Details about division of assets and spousal support has yet to be revealed due to their ‘uncontested divorce’ not being finalized by the court.
The most recent filing from July 17, obtained by the Daily Mail, shows that Haack did not ‘provide the full name’ she wants to legally take on.
Christina on the Coast and The Flipping El Moussas are just the latest two cancelations in a relentless bloodbath at the network, with HGTV also axing Bargain Block, Married to Real Estate, Farmhouse Fixer, Izzy Does It and Battle on the Beach.
The sudden cancelations have reportedly sent shockwaves through the channel’s fandom, and left employees of several shows fearing for their jobs.
‘Decisions are still being made,’ an insider who works directly with programming told the Daily Mail earlier this month.
‘It sucks for everyone involved but that’s the TV business, everyone understands that. Cable networks are struggling now, and we all have to make smart decisions.’
