Nicole Curtis has broken her silence after her latest attempt to “rehab” her career has been squashed, just hours before new episodes of her HGTV show Rehab Addict was due to air.
Nicole— who, just yesterday, made a surprise announcement that new episodes of the show would begin airing Wednesday— was fired by HGTV after Radar Online shared a video of unaired footage from the previous season in which Nicole is heard using the N-word.
In the video, Nicole was in the middle of a frustrating project when she blurted out, “Why? It’s the last one. Oh, fart n*****.” After realizing the racial slur was caught on camera, she begged for the crew to delete it, saying, “Nick, you gotta, you gotta, can you kill that? F**k my life.”
The site claims that the clip was filmed about two years ago for an episode that aired last June.
After Radar Online posted the video on Wednesday, HGTV gave an exclusive statement that condemned Nicole’s use of the slur and confirmed she had been fired.
“We understand that language like this is hurtful and disappointing to our viewers, partners and employees, and it does not align with the values of HGTV,” the network explained. “We remain dedicated to fostering a culture of respect and inclusion across our content and our workplace.”
In addition to firing Nicole, the network also “removed the series from all HGTV platforms.”
Nicole initially did not respond to the video being posted, instead taking to Instagram on Wednesday to discuss how proud she was of the new season of ‘Rehab Addict.’
View this post on Instagram
Eventually, though, she issued a statement to TMZ, as well as an apology for using the slur.
“I want to be clear: the word in question is wrong and not part of my vocabulary and never has been, and I apologize to everyone,” Nicole stated, adding that she had been previously unaware that HGTV had pulled the show.
“I’m grateful for the 15-year journey we’ve shared,” Nicole continued. “It’s been a meaningful chapter, but my focus isn’t on my career. My focus, at this moment is rightfully on my relationships, and my community — the people who truly know my character and where my heart is.”
HGTV has since taken down their post promoting the premiere of Season 10 of ‘Rehab Addict.’
The show premiered in 2010 on the DIY Network, where it ran for three seasons before moving to HGTV for Season 4. In 2021, a spin-off called Rehab Addict Rescue began airing on HGTV as well.
You can watch the clip that got Nicole fired below.
4 Responses
She obviously has used that phrase before because that’s not the kind of thing that just happens spontaneously. And, I’m guessing that it leaked because the crew knows that this wasn’t a one-time freak event.
As a white person, I truly don’t understand how this happens. I have never said it and never thought to say it. It doesn’t slip out. Have I dropped the f bomb in front of my kids when startled? Absolutely. Because I do use it, rarely. But I have never said THAT word.
If she said it, she uses it. The only exception would be, like, Tourette’s because that’s basically intrusive thoughts winning
“The word in question…is not a part of my vocabulary and never has been” – Nicole
Oh okay, sure. Because when humans are deeply frustrated they just randomly shout words they have never thought of or spoken before. Or is it more likely that you have used that word often enough that when you’re frustrated and forget yourself It becomes your go to word? Maybe she can start a podcast with Paula Deen and call it “Bigots that bake and stuff “.
“I want to be clear: the word in question is wrong and not part of my vocabulary and never has been”
But it just came out of her mouth.