Joanna Gaines is a clean freak. That is straight from the “Fixer Upper” star herself.
Despite the chaos of raising five children while building an empire, not to mention living on an actual farm, the HGTV star is somehow able to keep her home looking like a showroom.
Mrs. Clean
Jo joined Kylie Kelce for the Thursday, November 5, episode of her “Not Gonna Lie” podcast, where she confirmed the long-held rumor about her personal life.
Kelce — who has four kids of her own with husband Jason Kelce — asked the design pro whether her “pristine” home featured on the series was always as it seemed.
“Was there ever any degree of chaos or is it truly the state of your home?” she asked.
According to Joanna, however, it was not an optical illusion designed to trick viewers.
“So, that was the state of my home,” the Magnolia owner shared before clarifying, “Only because I’m like a recovering perfectionist.”
She continued, “I was telling you earlier, I wear my hair like this to be like, ‘Don’t be [a perfectionist.] Like stop it.'”
Another option, aside from the perfectionism, could be her background.
“Or is it because I’m Asian?” she questioned. “Like I grew up with my mom who was like tidy house. So it’s just in me. It’s an odd thing. Like at night my final good night to the house is counters, vacuum around the island. I’m just a weirdo.”
She continued, “So for me, I think because our life was so chaotic, if my house isn’t in order—I guess for me it’s like the grounding thing, then my brain can’t function. So that’s kind of how I am with everything. It’s like right now like my office, my desk is kind of a mess behind this, but when I come into the day, I have to find the order or I can’t start my day. So the house was clean, but that is just how I’ve always been.”
One thing was for sure, however, Joanna was not alone in keeping the place tidy. With five kids likely causing destruction, all five were there to help pick it back up.
“I made my kids help me. Like they knew where everything went,” she shared. “Like there was always a place for something.”
Opposite Sisters
While Joanna swears she gets her cleanliness from her mother, Nan Stevens, it seems her younger sister, Mikey McCall, did not pick up the same trait.
“But then I have my little sister who’s like it’s chaotic. She has six kids and I go in there and I’m just like this life is happening and it’s so fun,” she continued. “So, I don’t actually like trip out or I’m like I love that she can be chill and that’s why Mikey is so cool because she doesn’t care. I’m like the uptight sister and so that’s the uptightness in me. I have I my house is clean. I’m just clean.”
Joanna Gaines Confirms One Long Held Rumor About Her Personal Life: ‘It’s Just in Me’