Chip Gaines says he had one rule for daughter on prom night, but she didn’t listen

It turns out “just one rule” might be one rule too many for the Gaines family.

In an interview with Today, published May 21, Magnolia Network star Chip Gaines, 50, revealed the one rule he and his wife, Joanna Gaines, 47, tried to enforce with their 18-year-old daughter, Ella, on prom night.

The rule was for Ella to be home by midnight. Her compliance? Not so good.

“She blew past that,” Chip Gaines told Today. “But what do you do?”

“What do you do with this 18-year-old human being that is now legally an adult?” he continued. “She could serve in the army if she had to, and here I am explaining that she has to be back at 12 o’clock.”

Chip Gaines, who is used to waking up (and going to bed) early, thought he was being reasonable with his request. But he quickly learned otherwise.

“When I was a kid, midnight was really late,” he explains. “I thought that would have given her plenty of time to do everything she’d want to do at prom, but apparently, it wasn’t enough.”

As for how late she was out, Chip Gaines wouldn’t know because he was asleep.

“It was definitely in the wee hours of the next morning,” he said, adding that his wife was the one who stayed up and waited. “Jo is extremely thoughtful in that way and I guess I’m a little bit too lazy.”

Ella wasn’t the only one in the household to attend prom this year.

Two of the couple’s other children — son Duke, 16, and daughter Emmie, 15 — were also at the event, and their mother was the one who handled the floral arrangements for the trio, per Today.

While Chip Gaines described it as a “sweet” gesture, he dropped the ball when asked about dresses.

“There was a dress for sure,” he said of Ella’s outfit. “And she had a pair of shoes on. In regard to the color or pattern … I’m going to have to text Jo.”

As for what’s next for Ella, Chip Gaines says her “next chapter” will take place away from their hometown in Waco, Texas.

“We can’t wait for her to decide. Ella has thought about Korea, she’s thought about sunny Southern California,” Chip Gaines told Today.

“She seems excited to be able to spread her wings and do something very unique and outside the bubble,” he added.

Aside from Ella, Duke and Emmie, the HGTV stars share a 20-year-old son, Drake, who studies at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, and a 6-year-old son, Crew.

“He’s my boy. Literally, the one that I relate to the most is the 6-year-old,” Chip told Today of Crew.

“The other kids take after their mom: They’re thoughtful, attentive, caring, pretty reserved, very cautious,” he adds. “When they go outside, I don’t have to worry if they’re going to come back with a broken nose.”

“But with Crew, anything is possible,” he concludes.

This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 2:05 PM with the headline "Chip Gaines says he had one rule for daughter on prom night, but she didn’t listen."