Joanna Gaines Revealed Some Unfounded Accusations ‘Really Eat Her Lunch’ and Keep Her up at Night
According to Joanna Gaines, some accusations she and Chip Gaines have faced bother her more than others. Keep reading to find out which allegations “really eat [her] lunch” and kept her awake because of how far from the truth they are. Plus, discover how the couple responded when caught in the middle of an uncomfortable and divisive conversation.
Joanna Gaines said accusations of racism and anti-LGTBQ discrimination are ‘so far from who’ she and her family ‘really are’
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Joanna became visibly emotional while talking about how hurtful it was to face allegations of discrimination. Those accusations seemed to stem from the Magnolia Network founders’ donation to Chip’s sister’s campaign for a school board position before she spoke out opposing Critical Race Theory.
Joanna teared up while explaining, “The accusations that get thrown at you, like you’re a racist or you don’t like people in the LGBTQ community, that’s the stuff that really eats my lunch — because it’s so far from who we really are.”
“That’s the stuff that keeps me up,” she offered. And Chip added that “as an American white male,” he’s found “it’s hard to be perfectly diverse,” though the couple does make an effort.
“In our own company, we’ve got nearly 700 employees,” he explained, “and one of our biggest passions is making this group represent all people.”
Joanna Gaines is sensitive to accusations of racism because of her Asian heritage
Joanna said she also empathizes with those who have experienced discrimination. Her mother is an immigrant from Korea, and they both faced harassment during Joanna’s upbringing in Kansas and Texas.
“Growing up as half-Asian, half-Caucasian, I get what that feels like to not be accepted and to not be loved,” she told THR.
The mom of five kids also declared, “That’s the last thing I want anyone to ever feel.”
Joanna and Chip Gaines had an ‘uncomfortable conversation with a Black man’ to get a deeper understanding of race
Joanna and Chip decided they wanted to find a way to “get a pulse on” their kids’ thoughts about race. So, former NFL star Emmanuel Acho hosted the family on his YouTube series Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man.
In the wake of the death of George Floyd, Joanna and Chip wanted to know what they could do to help their children navigate their feelings about the tragedy. Chip asked the kids a question: “Pretend like you’re at a gas station and you see a Black man and a white man. Are you more threatened by either of those two men?”
“And the kids, really quick, all said, ‘No, why?’ They didn’t even think about that,” Joanna explained.
Afterward, the parents realized there might be disadvantages to raising “color-blind” children and “started kind of pushing back on that.”
“I think that it’s best that we raise our kids to see color,” Acho agreed, “because there’s a beauty in color and there’s a beauty in culture.”
