New Kids on the Block star Jonathan Knight began his career as a teenager touring the world with his popular boy band. After things slowed down in the mid-1990s, however, Knight took the opportunity to start a new career.
Boy Band to HGTV
Knight sat down with “Windy City Rehab” alum Alison Victoria, where he spilled on how he came to star on HGTV.
“In 1994, we were done. The music industry changed, and we just were done,” he said of his time with New Kids during his appearance on the “Pap Smear” podcast. “That was a really hard time in my life. I think I was 23, 24. Everything I had done since I was a teenager, working-wise, just came to a screeching halt.”
He went on to say that he fell into a depression after touring ended, as he questioned what was next for him.
“I was living in a 12,000-square-foot house with my family,” Knight recalled. “I just remember opening the door and looking up and down the hallway and saying, ‘Where is everybody?’ There’s no more roadies, there’s no more New Kids. There’s no more managers, there’s nothing.”
Knight was forced to “figure this out” on his own. His brother, Jordan Knight, encouraged him to set a goal without putting too much pressure on himself.
“I went out and bought my first flip property and just loved it. It was my second calling. [So I] just started doing a lot of houses in Boston,” the “Farmhouse Fixer” star said.
He went on to say that he “fed off” the praise and approval received from neighbors of his flip properties.
“I kind of got addicted,” Knight continued. “The funny thing is the guy that I went into business with was a cop in Boston. He used to sit at the base of my driveway to keep people from coming to knock on my door. And he said, ‘Do you want to flip houses?'”
According to Knight, he had no idea what the term “flip houses” meant at the time. His brain instantly went to “break into people’s houses at night time and flip all their stuff over and steal it.”
“The top reason I love my job, both my jobs, is giving to people and making people happy. There’s nothing better than that.”
Jonathan Knight Returns to HGTV
Months after his beloved series was canceled by the network, Knight is set to return with a reboot of an iconic show.
The renovation star will star in the revival of “Crashers,” an ambush-style series that originally aired from 2008 to 2011.
“Everyone has that one space that really needs work. But they have no time, no money and no idea where to start — and that’s where I come in,” Knight said in a release. “I love a challenge and especially one that’s going to change someone’s life in 72 hours.”
The 13-episode season will kick off with a California family in desperate need of a kitchen renovation.
“Crashers” premieres Monday, June 8, at 10 p.m. on HGTV.
