Fixer Upper ending after 5 seasons: Chip and Joanna’s full, shocking announcement

This story is going to sound like the kind of fake news Joanna and Chip Gaines have both laughed off and written blog posts about; unfortunately, it’s true: the Gainses are pulling the plug on Fixer Upper, their massively successful, genre-defining HGTV show, after five seasons. The couple shared their official Fixer Upper ending announcement with a blog post and video update on Magnolia Market’s web site this afternoon.

Before you fall into complete despair, know that Fixer Upper Season 5 is still being filmed and will still air in its entirety. The new episodes will feature–among many other treats and surprises–one of Joanna’s sisters moving back to Waco with her husband and their seven children; the reveal of Hillcrest Estate, Joanna and Chip’s second Fixer Upper-themed bed & breakfast; and the literal overnight success of their Texas Forever charity for Hurricane Harvey relief.

But the big story is, of course, the fact that the Gainses are calling it quits on their TV empire when they’re at the peak of their cultural power. You can read Chip and Joanna’s Fixer Upper ending announcement in context over at the Magnolia Market blog. We’ve reproduced it in its entirety below because the number of hysterical Fixer Upper fans reading the news has actually crashed the blog:

It is with both sadness and expectation that we share the news that season 5 of Fixer Upper will be our last. While we are confident that this is the right choice for us, it has for sure not been an easy one to come to terms with. Our family has grown up alongside yours, and we have felt you rooting us on from the other side of the screen. How bittersweet to say goodbye to the very thing that introduced us all in the first place.

This has been an amazing adventure! We have poured our blood, sweat and tears into this show. We would be foolish to think we can go and go and fire on all cylinders and never stop to pause. Our family is healthy and our marriage has honestly never been stronger. This has nothing to do with a fraudulent skincare line or anything else you’ll inevitably read. This is just us recognizing that we need to catch our breath for a moment. Our plan is to take this time to shore up and strengthen the spots that are weak, rest the places that are tired and give lots of love and attention to both our family and our businesses.

We are really, really proud of season 5. We laid it all on the field and didn’t hold anything back. We think it’s the perfect finale to this amazing journey we’ve been on. Season 5 begins in November and Behind the Design will follow shortly after. There’s so much good, new stuff coming your way!

Though our Fixer Upper chapter is coming to a close, we aren’t done with Waco. We aren’t done renovating homes. We aren’t done designing things to make your home your favorite place on earth. We aren’t done working towards restoration in all things or helping out those who could use a hand. In fact, in all of these of things, we are just getting started.

Who knows what the future holds, but we’re excited for whatever is around the bend and in the meantime, we will definitely be staying in touch.

We will forever be thankful for HGTV and this opportunity of a lifetime. We are also thankful to our production company, Highnoon Entertainment and our amazing producers and crew on the ground here in Waco. We are grateful for them and for you. Thank you for sharing life with us and for the continued support. Thank you for having our backs! Thank you for caring about these homes and these families and the things that we care so much about.

Really, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Chip and Jo

There’s doubtless going to be plenty of speculation about the reasons for Fixer Upper ending; the $1 million lawsuit that Chipper’s former Magnolia partners filed against him earlier this year will probably feature heavily in that speculation & related gossip. Given everything that we know about the Gainses, though, it’s hard to believe that they’re being anything other than sincere when they say they just want to “catch [their] breath for a moment.” Every season of Fixer Upper has been more popular and resulted in more merchandising spin-offs and show tie-ins than the one before it.

Meanwhile, Jo and Chip have four kids to raise, and–as we mentioned at the top of the article–a whole bunch of new family members in town. What good is massive success if you’re never around to share it with them?

And fans have already pointed out that the Fixer Upper ending statement doesn’t close the door on filming future episodes of the show. So, for now, we’ll all have to find a way to dry our tears, close our mouths hanging open in shock, and get excited for the November premiere of Season 5.

(Photo credits: Fixer Upper ending via Instagram)