Chip and Joanna Gaines Attend State Dinner, Angering Some Fans
Chip and Joanna Gaines' special night at the White House was not received positively by some of their fans. An elegant black-tie date night took place at the White House on Wednesday for the Magnolia Network couple. They attended a state dinner at which President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee. Joanna shared a series of photos on Instagram, including some of the duo posing outside the White House, along with selfies inside.
"What an honor it was to be a part of tonight's State Dinner to celebrate the 70 year alliance between the United States of America and my mother's home country of South Korea," she wrote in the caption. "Coming off the heels of our incredible trip to Seoul, this evening was another reminder of just how proud I am to be a Korean American."
Despite the happy occasion, some of the users in the comments were more upset at what they perceived to be a statement on the Gaines' political affiliation."Hard to believe you'd attend [and] support Biden and his administration," read one comment.
Another commenter wrote, "Uh. And unfollow [and] will never buy your products again. Canoodling with the Bidens is disgusting," while one claimed, "Ok won't watch your shows anymore really I thought you were better than joe Biden."
Although many of the messages were contentious, fans still flooded the comment section with support for the duo to override all the negativity. "I'm so sad reading all of these negative comments," a fan wrote. "When will we get back to being a country where politics is private and we don't judge and hate based on who you vote for or whose company you keep. Everything Joanna and Chip have shown us in their public life tells a story of kind, creative, loving, generous, empathetic people. There are democrats who carry these virtues and republicans who carry these virtues. To unfollow or judge these people based on a few photos at the White House shows me how manipulated we have become by social media. And to read this from so many 'Christians' is so troubling."
One commenter said, "Some of these comments don't pass the vibe check at all. It's a White House State Dinner. They hosted the President of South Korea. No matter who's in the White House at the time… you get that invite, you GO. This isn't partisan."
"People need to relax," another user added. "It's good to have one of our best Korean American role models hosting our ally at a state dinner, and that is bi-partisan. I would have accepted too, regardless of the administration in charge."
The Gaineses visited South Korea earlier this month, where Joanna was able to celebrate her Korean heritage. Following her opening up last year about her journey toward accepting her heritage, Joanna traveled to the South Korean capital from her hometown of Waco, Texas. Joanna revealed to PEOPLE in November that she wasn't always excited about embracing her heritage because she had been bullied for it as a child. It was common for her classmates to call her names and tease her about eating rice at lunch.
"We were literally the only Asians in our entire school," she said, referring to herself and her sisters. "It was deeply personal because that was half of my story," she told PEOPLE. "I realized if this isn't accepted, maybe I need to hide it and play more into the other side of who I am." Traveling to New York City for a college internship was the first time she realized how unique she was because of her heritage. "I saw more people that looked like me than ever before," she explained. "I left really understanding the beauty and uniqueness of Korean culture and for the first time I felt whole, like this is fully who I am and I'm proud of it."
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