Who is Nicole Curtis? Fired HGTV star apologizes for 'offensive racial comment' Melina Khan, USA TODAY February 12, 2026 at 8:53 PM 22 Nicole Curtis' more than 15year run on HGTV came to an abrupt end on Feb. 11 after the "Rehab Addict" host allegedly made an "offensive racial comment," according to the network. HGTV said in a statement to The Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that it has removed Curtis and her show from the network after it learned of "an offensive racial comment made during the filming of Rehab Addict.
- - Who is Nicole Curtis? Fired HGTV star apologizes for 'offensive racial comment'
Melina Khan, USA TODAY February 12, 2026 at 8:53 PM
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Nicole Curtis' more than 15-year run on HGTV came to an abrupt end on Feb. 11 after the "Rehab Addict" host allegedly made an "offensive racial comment," according to the network.
HGTV said in a statement to The Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that it has removed Curtis and her show from the network after it learned of "an offensive racial comment made during the filming of Rehab Addict."
"Not only is language like this hurtful and disappointing to our viewers, partners, and employees — it does not align with the values of HGTV," the statement said.
Here's what to know about Curtis and her removal from the network.
Nicole Curtis apologizes for 'offensive racial comment'
A video released by Radar Online on Feb. 11 showed Curtis using a racial epithet, reportedly while filming "Rehab Addict" two years ago. HGTV did not specify whether this was the incident in question.
Curtis issued an apology on her Instagram story on Feb. 11, writing that she is "grateful for the 15-year journey" on HGTV.
"My focus, at this moment is rightfully on my relationships, and my community — the people who truly know my character and where my heart is. I want to be clear: the word in question is wrong and not part of my vocabulary and never has been, and l apologize to everyone," she wrote in part.
The 49-year-old rose to fame with her show, "Rehab Addict," which first aired on the DIY Network in 2010 before moving to HGTV. The show focused on Curtis renovating historic homes from the 19th and 20th centuries across Minnesota and Michigan.
More: Nicole Curtis' 'Rehab Addict' removed from HGTV after 'racial comment'
Who is Nicole Curtis? A look at former 'Rehab Addict' host's career
Curtis is known for her HGTV show "Rehab Addict," which first premiered in October 2010. Its ninth season was set to return on Feb. 11 after a hiatus last year, but will not return after being removed from the network.
The first four seasons of the show were filmed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before moving to Detroit, Michigan. Over the course of each season, Curtis and her team tackled the renovation of several historic homes.
Nicole Curtis returns for Season 9 of "Rehab Addict" on June 24, 2025.
According to her website, Curtis was "working on old houses long before the show came calling."
When the show first premiered, Curtis says on her website, she "was hustling, as a young mother, burning both ends of the candle. Juggling, real estate, design, home restoration and selling garbage finds on Craigslist."
Curtis told The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2014 that before her home renovation career, she went to school in Georgia, Florida and Michigan and originally intended to study law before switching to education. Afterward, she started a cleaning business to help pay for college, she told the Republic.
Later, Curtis said she turned to renovating homes — which she earnestly calls "rehabbing" them — because she was poor.
"Nothing motivates you to learn how to do something like not having the money to pay to have it done. I've never bought anything turnkey and never will. I've never 'flipped' a house in my life. I really don't feel that I fit in that category. I rehab houses out of necessity," she told the Republic.
However, Curtis' decades of renovating homes have not been without woes. The Detroit Free Press reported in 2015 that some of the homes renovated on Curtis' shows hit snags with city policies like home inspections and work permits.
Nicole Curtis family: Former HGTV host has two sons
Curtis has two sons, 28-year-old Ethan and 10-year-old Harper.
She gave birth to her son Ethan on Dec. 24, 1997, when she was 21. Her second son, Harper, was born in May 2015.
In 2015, Curtis and former partner Shane Maguire began a custody battle over their son Harper, per the Free Press.
1 / 5A look at Elfreth's Alley, one of America's oldest streetsElfreth's Alley in Philadelphia is the longest continuously occupied residential street in North America, dating to 1703. Most of the homes are still privately owned.
Last year, Curtis addressed the tumult in an interview with People,
"Our family went through a lot over the years, and so that's definitely something that I have done my best to keep my family out of the public eye and focus on the houses," she told People. "That's always where we wanted that focus to be."
She also told the outlet that she wasn't planning to show much of her family in the new episodes of "Rehab Addict," though her older son appeared on the show in its early days.
"I think there's one gift we can give our children, and I give them privacy. They're out in public with me a lot, and I shield them," she said. "But I won't do that again. My boys are my most precious, precious things in the entire world to me."
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Nicole Curtis? Fired 'Rehab Addict' host had long HGTV run
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Published: February 12, 2026 at 10:45PM on Source: RED MAG
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