Chip & Joanna Gaines Swear Those Rumors About Them Aren’t True

It's been almost a month since word broke that HGTV's popular show Fixer Upper was coming to an end after this current season, and fans are still pretty bummed about the whole thing. When Fixer Upper hosts husband and wife team Chip and Jo told fans the decision to end the show was for their family, many thought it pointed to signs of trouble in paradise. But Chip and Joanna Gaines swear those rumors about their marriage aren't true, and that their reasons to put a hold on reality TV right now were far more nuanced.

Last month, Chip and Jo dropped the bomb at their Magnolia blog that Fixer Upper was ending. A spinoff show, Fixer Upper: Behind the Design, will feature mostly Jo as she takes viewers on a deep dive into the designs for some of their most popular home remodeling projects. Behind the Design is set to premiere sometime after Season 5 of Fixer Upper concludes.

Between the original announcement that Jo was getting her own spinoff series, and the couple's announcement that they've chosen to end the show after this season, rumors abounded that Chip and Jo's marriage was in rocky waters — but the couple spoke to AOL's Build series to assure fans those rumors couldn't be further from the truth.

Joanna opened up to Build about how everyone assumes that something must be wrong with her and Chip's relationship, according to Huff Post:

For people, they think there’s got to be a reason, like, 'Oh, something bad happened and therefore that’s why they’re leaving the show.' I think it’s just hard for people to comprehend, no, we’re just leaving because it’s right instinctively for us and our family. No negative reason.

She also noted that the decision to end Fixer Upper was one that was made for their entire family — it was about what was best for their four children. "I think when you start hearing all this rumor stuff, it’s just ... it’s weird," Joanna told Build.

Chip and Jo have four kids — daughters Emmie Kay and Ella Rose are 7 and 9, while their sons Duke and Drake are 8 and 11, respectively. They're certainly at an age where rumors about their parents' relationship are far more easily accessible — and not just to them, but their friends and classmates in Waco, Texas. When they announced that Fixer Upper would end after this season, Jo told People, "They’re so young, and we want to give them the chance to have a normal childhood." I can completely respect that — as should all of their fans.

On Tuesday, the couple appeared on The TODAY Show to promote Chip's new book, Capital Gaines. It was there that Chip also clarified that choosing to end Fixer Upper wasn't about problems in their marriage — rather, it was about making sure that their reality TV show wouldn't become the source of potential problems in the future.

That said, Chip said he gave some of the relationship rumors "a little credence," which indicate that perhaps the show was starting to put a strain on their marriage — and not the other way around. Chip emphasized that ultimately, moving on from Fixer Upper was what's best for their family right now, according to TODAY.

The most important thing in the world is Jo and I's relationship, followed very quickly by these four beautiful kids (of ours). We didn't want to push it, to redline it for so long that we woke up and realized we are at a point of no return. So we wanted to take a step back and focus on what is absolutely the most important thing to us.

Beyond Jo's spinoff show, it's not clear whether fans will get to see Chip and Jo on the small screen in the future. When asked about the odds that he and Jo would come back to do more TV, Chip said simply, "Who knows?" That said, it's not like the Gaineses are sitting around twiddling their thumbs: Chip and Joanna own a massive brand empire in Waco, known collectively as Magnolia. Their many businesses include everything from a brick and mortar home goods store, to boutique vacation rentals, and a realty business spanning five Texas cities. Even though Fixer Upper is coming to an end, the Gaineses want to assure fans that their marriage is not — and that even without the show, they'll still have plenty to do together.

Watch Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries:

Check out the entire Romper's Doula Diaries series and other videos on Facebook and the Bustle app across Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.