‘Fixer Upper’ Stars Chip and Joanna Gaines Explain Rocky Start to Relationship: ‘I Was a Bit of a Player’

Chip and Joanna Gaines are a successful couple not only in business but in love as well. The Fixer Upper stars were recently interviewed by Oprah Winfrey where they spilled the tea on how their relationship started. Chip revealed that he was “a bit of a player” which was in complete contrast to Joanna.

Chip said Joanna was like a librarian

Fans of the HGTV stars know that Chip and Joanna Gaines have contrasting personalities. While Chip is the wild and crazy one, Joanna is more methodical and calm. During their interview with Oprah on Super Soul, they shared with viewers how each of them perceived each other at the beginning of their relationship.

“I was quite the catch, I was really a bit of a player,” Chip said. “Joe was a little bit like the librarian-type. You’d pull the pencil out behind her bun and then realize what was behind the scenes was this beautiful, spectacular woman.”

Joanna revealed that Chip was an hour late to their first date and was close to not going out with him for making her wait for him.

“If he would have been a minute later… I told my roommates, ‘I’m not answering that door. If he doesn’t come in the next five minutes, ‘we’re not answering.’ So he only had about five minutes late or it would’ve been over,” Joanna recalled.

Chip disagreed with Joanna and said she would’ve waited for him for hours. However, the designer said that Chip used to “stalk” her when she worked at her dad’s Firestone store.

“I did these commercials, so he’d always say, ‘If I could just meet her,'” she said. “So he’d come into the Firestone store once a month and finally we bumped into each other.”

Chip Gaines feels indebted to his wife

Despite their clashing personalities, Chip and Joanna Gaines are complements of each other. Many would assume that the couple would not work out because on paper they are seemingly not compatible. However, Chip explained that Joanna helped him get grounded.

“I was just such an idiot and I was just so, so anxious and so excitable,” Chip continued. “My dad used to [say], in a loving way, ‘Son, talking to you is like trying to get a drink of water out of a fire hydrant.’ I was always that kind of energy, it wasn’t pleasant, it wasn’t cute. Joe has just kind of grounded me. When I die or I’m on my deathbed, what I’ll say looking back is that ‘I owe you my life because you settled me down.’”

Just like Joanna became an asset to Chip’s life, he also helped Joanna to let loose once in a while.

“Chip is always teaching me [that] if you’re not having fun, if you’re not enjoying, and savoring these moments, then why are you doing it? And he also pushes me to do it,” Joanna added.

New episodes of Fixer Upper: Welcome Home will be available starting this July 2021 on the discovery+ streaming service.