'Back to the Frontier' Betrayal: Chip and Joanna Gaines Abandon Conservative Base for HBO’s Woke Agenda

Once heralded as wholesome champions of faith and family values, Chip and Joanna Gaines have officially stepped off the front porch of biblical conviction and straight into the arms of Hollywood’s progressive agenda.

Their new HBO series, Back to the Frontier, premiered Thursday and was immediately met with backlash from longtime supporters. Marketed as a “social experiment” where families live like 1800s pioneers, the show now faces serious scrutiny for featuring a same-sex couple raising two adopted boys.

Jason and Joe Hanna-Riggs, the gay couple included in the show, are hardly background characters. In fact, their presence appears to be a selling point. As Realtor.com reported, Jason admitted their decision to join the show was inspired by “a gay couple on the front of that flyer,” calling it “a great opportunity for representation.”

Joe, more reluctant at first, voiced skepticism over the harsh living conditions, saying: “Why are we going to do this? Why are we going to have no running water, no electricity. Like, ‘What are we signing up for?’” But the couple ultimately joined the cast and brought their sons, Ethan and Lucas, along for the ideological journey.

The show documents their experience adjusting to a rustic lifestyle—what they described as “very physical”—but for many conservative viewers, the real issue isn’t the lack of modern conveniences. It’s the erasure of traditional family structures from a project produced by a couple who once claimed to stand for them.

Chip Gaines promoted the show on X without a single mention of the controversial casting.

“Y’all are going to love this show!! Social experiment + family time well spent,” he posted.

But many weren’t impressed with the omission — or the show.

Megan Basham of The Daily Wire did not mince words:

“This is incredibly disappointing, but not particularly surprising.”

“Highlighting their faith early in their business building helped get them where they are, but they don’t need to do it anymore. It is indeed very sad.”

Social media users echoed the outrage. One commenter slammed the Gaineses for “promoting a household where two men custom ordered two motherless boys.”

Another accused them of causing children to stumble:

“Maybe you thought you were being kind or inclusive … You’re actually complicit in ‘causing these little ones to stumble.’ Pull the show.”

And the backlash wasn’t just moral, but economic:

“I hope the money from HBO was worth it.”

For a couple that built a multimillion-dollar empire on Christian branding, this move marks a clear ideological pivot—and a painful one for their supporters.

The message is clear: Faith is not a marketing gimmick. Values aren’t seasonal. And when you build your platform on trust, violating it has consequences.

Let’s not forget this moment the next time the Gaineses need Christian America to rally behind their next book, product line, or “family” venture.