Joanna Gaines Making Surprise Return to TV for Quarantine Cooking Special

Joanna Gaines returns to TV on Sunday for the first time since Fixer Upper came to an end. Gaines is known to many fans as an interior design expert, having helped renovate homes with her husband Chip on their HGTV show. Now, she is showing off her cooking skills in a TV special on the Food Network.

Gaines will be on TV this Sunday at 12 p.m. ET for a one-hour Food Network special. She began teasing the show on Thursday, giving fans a little time to get their kitchens in order if they want to follow along. Gaines will be promoting some of the recipes in her new cook book, Magnolia Table, Volume 2. She will also be teasing her new solo show, which will air on her family’s new DIY cable network, the Magnolia Network.

“I’m so excited to be back in your homes today (it’s been 2 years since the last fixer aired)!” Gaines tweeted on Sunday. “Tune in to [the Food Network] at 12/11c for a one-hour special where we pulled together some of the videos the kids filmed of me cooking over the past couple of weeks.”

“We hope you are encouraged by it during this extended time at home. PLUS, we’re ending the episode with a sneak peek of my cooking show that will be airing on Magnolia Network in the coming months!” Gaines added.

Judging by the promos, it looks like fans can expect Gaines to work on a Dutch oven lasagna, garlic knots and a French silk pie in the course of the special. It also includes some screen time for her five children, which Gaines’ fans always love.

Many fans were surprised when Gaines and her husband ended their lauded show Fixer Upper in the spring of 2018. They said that they intended to focus on their own business, and it looks like things have gone well for them. They are now launching their own cable channel. According to a report by Country Living, the Magnolia Network will launch in October of this year.

Aside from Gaines’ own cooking show, other series on the network will come from like-minded families and individuals pursuing similar projects and lifestyles to the work that made the Gaines famous. One confirmed show stars husband and wife Abner Marmirez and Amanda Sudano Ramirez, touring the country with their kids Joaquin and Luna as they play in their band, JOHNNYSWIM. The series reportedly has the working title Home on the Road.

There is no telling what else the Magnolia Network has in store for fans, but as Gaines pointed out, the timing is great. With so many people in self-isolation at home, now is the perfect time to pick up some home improvement projects to wile away the hours.

Gaines’ cooking special airs on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET on the Food Network. The Magnolia Network launches in October of 2020.