Joanna Gaines was born in Kansas. She was raised in Texas. Her mother was Korean and her father was half German and half Lebanese. Before she was known, she graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Communications. She met her husband Chip, who she had similar construction and design interests with, and together started their own show, Fixer Upper (2013). In 2017 she announced that she was leaving the show. She and her husband own a construction/design company named Magnolia Homes, a discount store, Magnolia Market, and most recently Magnolia Table, a breakfast restaurant that also sells lunch and dinner.