HGTV star Christina Haack has revealed that it was her ex-husband Tarek El Moussa who made the call to the network to tell producers that her then-estranged spouse, Josh Hall, needed to be removed from “The Flip Off” following their bitter split.
Haack, 42, who split from Josh in July 2024 after nearly three years together, opened up about the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship with Hall in a wide-ranging interview with People—revealing how El Moussa was the one who rushed to her aid in the wake of her marriage ending.
The mother of three told the outlet that the moment she and Hall, 44, called it quits had a massive impact, not only on her personal life, but also on her professional career in front of the cameras, leaving everyone questioning if “The Flip Off” would still go ahead.
Initially, the series was meant to feature El Moussa and his second wife, “Selling Sunset” star Heather Rae El Moussa, competing against Haack and Hall in a couples’ renovation competition—with filming already underway by the time the latter duo split.
Luckily, Haack recalled how Tarek, 44, came to the rescue and made sure she could focus on healing her broken heart, opting to call the network producers himself to alert them that Hall would not be returning to the show.
She explained, “Tarek told our attorney and told the network for me that Josh would no longer be a part of the show. They said, ‘No problem. That’s fine.’ They just said, ‘We need Christina to have a scene where she tells you, Tarek, that Josh is no longer going to be a part of the show.’”
A week later, that scene was filmed and it caused everyone on set to become emotional.
The producers “didn’t tell me anything. They just said, ‘Tarek’s coming over. We want you to tell him that you and Josh broke up.’ But for me, [the scene] was never really about Josh. It was more about me and Tarek and everything that’s happened since then,” Haack added.
In the end, the scene became a safe space for the exes to pour out their feelings and forgive everything they have done in the past.
“That scene lasted probably an hour and a half in reality, and everyone was crying: the camera operators, the production crew. It was emotional. Through the years, we have obviously had talks, and we’ve apologized to each other, but not on camera and not like that. I don’t think he expected me to go there,” she said.
Haack noted that since they split in 2016, they have focused on making their friendship better.
“We’ve both taken ownership for our responsibilities. We’ve known each other since we were 22, and I respect him. He’s a hard worker. He’s a great dad. He’s come a long way in our relationship. Both of us have a lot of gratitude, and both of us have a lot of respect for each other,” she added.
Haack’s latest behind-the-scenes admission about her divorce came hours after she told the outlet that her relationship with Hall caused many issues in her life—and it all began with the first time he proposed to her at her former home in Dana Point, CA.
“The first time he proposed, I said no, and he threw the ring in the pool. That was probably red flag No. 1,” she revealed. “I don’t think anyone’s ever heard that story before. Sorry. It’s true.”
Haack claimed that her ex had decorated her terrace before asking for her hand in marriage, but things went south when she rejected him.
“We weren’t getting along super great even then, off and on. When things were good, they were good, but it just felt like I wasn’t quite ready, and so I just said, ‘This is not the right time.’
“I don’t remember exactly what I said, but he had the patio decorated and he threw it in the pool,” she said.
Despite Haack’s insistence that she should have seen the warning signs, a representative for Hall told the outlet that “Josh has no clue what Christina is talking about.”
The pair eventually got engaged just six months into their relationship in 2021 while in Mexico.
Looking back, the reality TV star noted that the fast pace of the relationship should’ve set off warning bells, but she didn’t realize it until it was too late.
“The quick courting and all those things, that’s sort of what I was used to, and it didn’t even feel right then.
“I learned to protect myself, my children, my finances, and I also truly, I don’t think until this divorce, I learned how much I appreciate peace, freedom, quiet, chill,” she told the outlet.
And Haack revealed she is taking the lessons she learned in her third marriage with her into her new relationship and applying them to her day-to-day life.
“I don’t look at it as starting over, and especially for the fourth time. That just makes me want to cringe.
“It does feel like a fresh start in that, for once, I’m actually in control of my destiny, and that feels really good,” she said.
Although she noted that she is still learning and working on herself each day, she has come to terms with the negative effects of her romance.
“I’m not going to say I have it all together. I’m still learning. I’m still a work in progress. And I’m grateful for my mistakes,” she added.
On Monday, Haack revealed that filming for “The Flip Off,” which stars the El Moussas, had begun.
She told the outlet that she is looking forward to Season 2 of the hit show, especially because Season 1 saw her going head-to-head with Hall during filming.
“In all honesty, I didn’t want to film the show with Josh. We hadn’t been getting along in a long time, and I’m not talking about weeks, like years.
“The network knew I didn’t want to, and I had even told Tarek I didn’t want to. He joked and said, ‘Whatever. You guys are just going to split up in Episode 2 and then the show will go on and everything will be fine.'”
Following her split from Hall, Haack got closer with Tarek and her second husband, Ant Anstead, whom she split from in 2021.
Now, Haack is focusing on taking things slow in her new romance with Christopher Larocca.
“We’re not even discussing getting married. We’re not discussing getting engaged. We’re taking things slow. I promise.
“We’re not having children together. We’re not in a rush. We don’t have a timeline. He’s a super busy man. He has his own life, his own friends, his own career, and he’s pragmatic,” she explained.
The update on her life comes just days after she admitted she still feels “embarrassment” at how her past marriages have ended.
In the summer, HGTV fans were concerned about the fate of “The Flip Off” after HGTV axed several beloved shows, including “Battle on the Beach,” Bargain Block,” “Married to Real Estate,” “Farmhouse Fixer,” and “Izzy Does It.”
In July, sources claimed that both “Christina on the Coast” and “The Flipping El Moussas” were canceled by the network.
According to Us Weekly, insiders claimed that “Christina on the Coast,” which ran for five seasons, the last of which concluded in March of this year, has “not been renewed.” “The Flipping El Moussas” lasted two seasons.
Although the network hasn’t revealed the reason for the slew of cancellations, a report from Deadline said the decreasing number of viewers is partly to blame.