Fixer Upper star Chip Gaines has always been unapologetically himself, whether it means making everyone laugh on the set of his Waco-based HGTV show or teasing his wife and children on social media. But lately, fans of the Gaines family have noticed that Chip's hair keeps getting longer and he doesn't seem to want to cut it. While fans have been incredibly opinionated by his new look, he actually has a specific reason for growing it out — and it's for a very good cause.
Chip opened up recently on his Instagram feed about how he has been growing out his hair to raise money for St. Jude and hilariously compiled screenshots of all of the negative feedback he'd gotten lately as a result of his long hair. as it turns out, he'd plotted to put his grown-out pandemic hair to good use
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"WOW.. turns out some of y'all really don't like my hair! But I can take it because I've been growing it out for a good reason. So now's your chance to put your money where your mouth is.. I'm going to cut my hair, and I'm asking you to cut a check—and let's see if we can raise a boatload of money for the kids at @stjude. The hair's coming off on Friday (Aug. 27), but between now and then, let's chip in together for a good cause. And when it's all said and done, I'll donate my hair to @cwhl_org. Let's do this! #ChipInForStJude"
Even his wife Joanna posted about his fundraiser mission, admitting that she actually might miss the long hair look.
"All donations will benefit the lifesaving mission of St. Jude: Finding cures. Saving children," a press release from St. Jude noted. "Because of generous supporters like Chip and Joanna Gaines, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food -because all a family should worry about is helping their child live."
During Chip's recent visit on the Today Show, fans were polled to provide their feedback on his long locks. Seventy-five percent of fans on the Twitter feed were not a fan...granted at the time they didn't realize it wasn't a fashion statement, it's to help St. Jude patients in need.
"Nobody can agree on anything," Chip said. "You're either in this camp or you're in this camp. Well, Twitter is very similar in that regard with my hair. It's either you love this or you (hate it)."
By his Friday deadline, Gaines had raised over $300,000 for St. Jude, which equaled no more flowing locks. Hair we last saw in pigtails got donated to Children With Hair Loss, which will turn Chip's gift into wigs for kids facing cancer treatment.
As opinionated as fans have been, it shouldn't have been a surprise, because this isn't the first time that Chip has grown his hair out for the cause. He launched "Operation Haircut" back in 2017, when he was able to raise $230,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
In 2019, he raised $998,000 on social media through his fundraising challenge dubbed the "Chip in Challenge."
