Chip and Joanna Gaines Are ‘Knee-Deep’ in Building Magnolia Network

As Joanna Gaines and her husband Chip’s Magnolia Network draws closer to its October 2020 launch, the former Fixer Upper stars are realizing just how labor intensive putting their passion project together really is. During a new interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, Joanna admitted that the late night host had warned them how nerve-racking the whole process would be before their big announcement.

“Remember last year, when [Chip] prematurely announced that we were having a network?” Gaines recalled. “Then Jimmy pulled us aside when we were done and said, ‘Hey are you serious? That’s gonna be a lot of work.’ And we were like, ‘Oh it’s gonna be so much fun,’ and you were like, ‘It’s a lot of work,’ and now we’re like, ‘You were right.’”

She continued of getting all the programming together ahead of the launch, “It’s a lot of work, but we’re knee-deep in it right now. I think what we love is just the idea of finding amazing stories — people who are passionate about what they do — whether it’s cooking, design, business. So we’re excited. This is a lot of fun and a lot of work.”

With Gaines’ Magnolia Table cookbook shooting to the top of the best sellers list and the upcoming release of Magnolia Table Vol. II, Fallon suggested that the couple include a cooking show starring Joanna on their network, an idea both Gaines and Chip approved right off the bat.

“I’m cool with it,” Chip said. “You’re talking to the executives of the Magnolia Network, and when Jimmy Fallon says Jo should do a cooking show, I vote that Jo does a cooking show.”

Gaines added, “We’re doing one. We’re gonna do it,” even noting that they had approached Matthew McConaughey backstage about possibly guest starring on a segment.

Another show coming to Magnolia Network is Home on the Road, which follows country band Johnnyswim’s couple Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano Ramirez as they tour with the rest of their band as well as son Joaquin, 4, and daughter Luna, 1.

“Amanda and Abner are magnetic,” the Gaines said in the announcement last month. “Ever since we met them a little over five years ago, we’ve been drawn to the way they navigate family, community, and life on the road. They’re not just musicians, they’re storytellers and together, they are a true picture of the relentless pursuit of following a dream and making it a reality; but their dream doesn’t stop with them — it’s extended to their family and fans and everyone they meet.”

Magnolia Network is set to launch in October 2020.

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