HGTV Removes Rehab Addict After Host Nicole Curtis Uses Racial Slur
Episodes of Rehab Addict were removed by HGTV on the day they were supposed to premiere following the resurfacing of a video featuring star Nicole Curtis using the “n-word.”
In the early hours of Wednesday, February 11, RadarOnline published a previously unseen video showing Curtis, 49, during a renovation project, where she inadvertently uses the racial slur while filming.
“Why? It’s the last one,” Curtis said in the clip as she grappled with a part of the project. “Oh, fart n***r.”
The HGTV star quickly realized her mistake and turned to the camera crew, pleading with them to erase the footage.
“What the f*** is that I just said?” Curtis asked, visibly stunned by her own words. An off-camera crew member could be heard laughing as she pleaded, “Can you kill that?”
Clearly astonished by her own comments, she added, “F*** my life.”
A source informed Radar on Wednesday that the episode was filmed two years prior in Wyoming and aired — without the slur — during season 9 in June 2025.
Us Weekly has reached out to Curtis’ representative for a statement.
While Curtis has not yet made a public statement regarding the incident, HGTV has taken action, notifying Us Weekly on Wednesday that they were pulling the current season of Rehab Addict, which was scheduled to release new episodes today at noon.
“HGTV was recently made aware of an offensive racial comment made during the filming of Rehab Addict. Such language is not only hurtful and disappointing to our viewers, partners, and employees — it contradicts the values of HGTV,” the network stated. “As a result, we have removed the series from all HGTV platforms. We remain committed to fostering a culture of respect and inclusion across our content and within our workplace.”
Curtis has hosted Rehab Addict since 2010, focusing on restoring historic homes in Detroit and Minneapolis to prevent their demolition. Over the years, she has broadened the regions where she performs renovations.
In July 2025, Curtis announced that she would be pausing the HGTV series and would not release the second half of season 9 until that fall, later indicating that new episodes would debut in February.
“Straight from Detroit — the new episodes drop Wednesday … was told now or never — so you get them now,” Curtis revealed via Instagram on Saturday, February 7. “And can you do me a huge favor by sharing this? Send it to friends, tag a friend, a stranger ❤️.”
The next day, the historic preservation expert gave her fans a sneak peek of the new episodes by sharing a playful video of herself moving back and forth on a moving sidewalk.
“I could say more, but I’ll choose to say less. Thank you for 15 years of incredible support!” Curtis expressed on social media on Sunday, February 8. “Your love has taken me from a struggling mommy working odd jobs on Craigslist to a real estate mogul whose voice (rather than face) gets recognized worldwide. God Bless ❤️❤️ Set the DVR — stream it — just be sure these old houses are preserved.”
In the hours leading up to Rehab Addict’s return on Wednesday, Curtis shared one last teaser with her fans.
“Rehab Addict. I’ll proudly stand by the fact that I’ve made this more real, more raw than anyone else. We’ve never had 100 people, let alone 25 or even 10 labeled as production while I’m working,” she wrote via Instagram. “It’s just me and my construction crew; on big days (like when there’s a major build, such as a roof) it’s 2 cameras, but mostly it’s just one.”
Curtis humorously noted, “It’s never been about my appearance (I can fix that in post 😊😂), it’s always been about the house.”
She reminisced, “We dealt with squatters, drugs, human waste, the worst conditions you can imagine, and we ended up with the beautiful Doris house ❤️❤️❤️❤️, proving once again — flippers flip — Nicole Curtis (that’s me) and team restore history ❤️❤️❤️.”
