New episodes of HGTV’s hit home restoration show “Rehab Addict” were scheduled to air this week after host Nicole Curtis’ brief hiatus. However, on the same day the series was set to return, years-old leaked footage surfaced online showing Curtis using a racial slur during a renovation project.
Warner Bros. Discovery-owned HGTV promptly removed every episode of the show and canceled future episodes. In a statement to Variety, the network said: “HGTV was recently made aware 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. Accordingly, we have removed the series from all HGTV platforms.”
The video appears to show Curtis growing increasingly frustrated as she works on a restoration job, muttering, “Oh fart n.”
In an immediate reaction, Curtis turned to her crew with panic, stating: “What the fk is that that I just said?” She later appeared to ask someone off-screen to “kill that,” referencing the video evidence — which clearly did not occur.
An anonymous source associated with the leak described the footage as being years-old and stated: “You [Nicole] deserve everything you get. Treat us with dignity and respect, and quit making money off of our backs. … You are a trash human.”
Curtis addressed the situation in a lengthy Instagram post on Thursday: “I am sorry. I am filled with remorse and regret, just as much as I was one second after that word was said 4 years ago in 2022.” She added: “I show this, I say this and I realize you are getting a limited view as what has been circulating is a clip of MY footage that was stolen then manipulated, edited and sold to [a] tabloid to coincide with my return to television only to create this chaos of hate, anger, disappointment. I make no excuse for this. I am not [a] victim. Nothing I say or do will take that moment 4 years ago away. I know it was wrong. This will never happen again.”
The host also claimed she has been “submerged in the African American community” her entire life and has chosen to “live and work in the inner cities of many major cities,” where she reportedly hears the slur used routinely.
While some have welcomed Curtis’ downfall over a past incident, she has received support from fans and at least one job offer following her cancellation.
Curtis is not the first reality television star to face consequences for racially charged language. The late Hulk Hogan was fired from World Wrestling Entertainment in 2015 after tapes recorded nearly a decade earlier revealed his frequent use of a racial slur. American chef and prolific cookbook author Paula Deen faced systematic criticism and stigmatization following allegations of racial discrimination and the repeated use of slurs.
