Christian social media was stunned when Fixer Upper darlings Chip and Joanna Gaines revealed the cast of their new HBO Max series, Back to the Frontier. Among the three families heading back to the 1880s life is a same-sex male couple raising surrogate-born twin boys.
Other than the matching rugs in my kitchen and dining room, I’ve had little connection to the world of Magnolia. But I knew they were supposed to be the stand-out Christian stars — refusing to compromise or lash out when their pastor came under fire in 2016 for defending biblical marriage. So I assumed the gay pair was some kind of oversight. Maybe rogue producers snuck the couple in, or casting did a switcheroo.
Nope.
Chip’s promo post on X made clear this was intentional: “Y’all are going to love this show!! Social experiment + family time well spent.” Social experiment indeed, just not the kind that resonated with his evangelical fan base. When the backlash came, he didn’t apologize or acknowledge the conflict with biblical convictions. Instead, he responded with, “Talk, ask qustns, listen… maybe even learn. Too much to ask of modern American Christian culture. Judge 1st, understand later/never.”
Then came video of the two men, Joe Riggs and Jason Hanna, describing their casting process ...
