This story just keeps getting more unsettling.
As we’ve been reporting this week, longtime Rehab Addict host Nicole Curtis is out at the network after a video surfaced showing her using a racial slur while cameras were rolling. The clip shows the 49-year-old blurting out the N-word before immediately turning to a crew member and pleading with them to “kill that.” Within hours, the fallout was swift, and HGTV had removed the series from all its platforms.
Related: Former HGTV Star Nicole Curtis’ Ex Speaks Out Amid Her Racism Scandal
The timing is especially jarring. Rehab Addict had just returned from an extended hiatus, with new Season 9 episodes finally airing after production was paused in July 2025. At the time, Nicole had publicly claimed she had made the “executive decision” to hold back the remaining episodes. But… according to a source who spoke to the DailyMail.com on Thursday night, that may not have been the full picture. That insider said:
“It’s definitely been a power struggle between Nicole and HGTV, and there have been a lot of conflicts. She can’t meet deadlines. She would always push and push and push to the last minute.”
That same insider alleged the network had grown increasingly frustrated and had warned her to deliver the rest of the season.
Another source pointed to a shift in dynamics after Nicole launched her own production company, Porte Cochere Production, in 2021 and began taking greater control of the show’s operations. The source explained:
“Since she decided to have her own production company and take over production, she’s been handling contracts to contractors, builders, crew, those who work with her on the show, and she hasn’t handled them well.”
The business side of things reportedly became complicated. In June 2025, Nicole was embroiled in a legal dispute with business partner Jordan Garland, who accused her of refusing to pay him for work tied to the series. The case was ultimately dismissed after she agreed to pay him at least $35,000 for services and reimbursement, but it added another layer of scrutiny to an already tense situation.
And then there are troubling claims about her behavior on set. One insider didn’t mince words, describing her as an “unhinged individual” and alleging volatile mood swings that left crew members rattled:
“She can flip a switch — like she will be yelling and throwing things, and then in a snap, start laughing like everything’s fine. Even some of her crew has said, ‘we want nothing to do with you.’”
Whoa.
According to that source, some cameramen even walked off set because of her alleged conduct.
Still, the insider insisted that despite the deeply offensive language captured on video, Nicole is “not a racist,” characterizing the slur as a catastrophic lapse rather than a reflection of her core beliefs.
Hmmm…
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[Image via Nicole Curtis/Instagram]
