Chip and Joanna Gaines’ latest television show has them in hot water due to their decision to cast a same-sex couple.

“Back To The Frontier” is a new reality television show released by Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network and broadcast on HBO Max. The series features three families who are challenged to live in a “Little House On The Prairie“-esque way without modern-day conveniences.

Ahead of the show’s premiere, the “Fixer Upper” stars shared clips that gave viewers a preview of the featured families, including a same-sex couple and their two sons.

The Gaines’ casting decision was a bold contradiction of the family values they portrayed on their other shows.

Chip and Joanna have long been considered one of the most influential evangelical Christian couples in the entertainment industry. In 2016, they sat down for an interview with their pastor, Jimmy Seibert, to talk about their journey into the spotlight and the platform they had been given.

In the interview, Joanna detailed her personal relationship with God and professed that their Magnolia company “was God’s.” Antioch Community Church, the church the Gaines’ have attended since early in their marriage, boldly opposes gay marriage. According to their website, “Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime …  Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage.”

Chip and Joanna’s latest business move contradicts their church’s stance on the issue and was a huge shock to their conservative fan base. The result was widespread backlash.

Fans reacted to the casting of a same-sex couple with outrage.

Fans called out Chip and Joanna for going against their professed Christian faith and compromising for the sake of a dollar.

“I hope the money from HBO was worth it to turn your long-time, loyal fan base against you by compromising your Christian values on family and sexuality. I hope you’ll reconsider the things that led you to do this,” one fan wrote.

Many supporters of the Gaines’ declared that they were now boycotting the couple and encouraged others to do the same.

A disgruntled fan wrote, “I was briefly excited to see a return to the Frontier [sic] until I saw the homosexual couple with children as part of the cast. I will not watch and I will be canceling my subscription to Magnolia.”

Commentator and podcast host Matt Walsh called out Chip and Joanna, saying that their casting decision and Chip’s response to the criticism exposes them as “frauds.”

“Chip and Joanna Gaines produced a new reality show that prominently features a gay male couple with two children. Chip‘s response to the Christians who’ve rightly criticized this decision is to, of course, condemn them as hateful bigots. It’s been clear for a long time that these two are frauds. At least now they’ve confirmed it,” Walsh wrote on X. 

Among those who expressed disappointment in the reality TV stars was evangelical pastor Franklin Graham, son of the late Billy Graham. Graham said, “While we are to love people, we should love them enough to tell them the truth of God’s Word. His Word is absolute truth. God loves us, and His design for marriage is between one man and one woman. Promoting something that God defines as sin is in itself sin.”

New York Times best-selling author Allie Beth Stuckey also chastised Chip, saying, “Disagreeing with [God] is no small deal. Encouraging others to do so is an even bigger deal. I seem to remember something about a millstone. Something to keep in mind.”

Chip Gaines responded to the criticism in a series of posts to X on Sunday.

On Thursday, July 10, Chip Gaines shared the ad poster for “Back To The Frontier” with a caption that read, “Y’all are going to love this show!! Social experiment + family time well spent.”

More than 3,000 fans responded with comments expressing their surprise and disappointment.

“Sorry, @chipgaines and @joannagaines You can’t wrap sin in shiplap and call it wholesome,” one fan wrote.

Chip personally responded to some of the comments and doubled down on his stance.

“Talk, ask qustns, listen.. maybe even learn. Too much to ask of modern American Christian culture. Judge 1st, understand later/never It’s a sad sunday when ‘non believers’ have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian,” Chip wrote.

Chip, seemingly unaware of the magnitude of the scrutiny he is facing, told one fan that his “Rise and fall of Magnolia” comment was “arrogant.”

“Come on Andrew.. this was not ours to build.. you think you or this situation can take it away.. pretty arrogant prediction. Gods will be done ya know,” said Chip.

It’s too early to tell if Chip and Joanna Gaines’ involvement with the controversial casting decision will have a profound impact on their brand in the long run.