Jen Hatmaker and Brandon Hatmaker's Divorce Unveils Betrayal and Rebuilding
The 2020 separation and eventual divorce of HGTV personalities Jen and Brandon Hatmaker profoundly impacted both individuals' lives.
In July 2020, Jen, known for hosting Your Big Family Renovation, surprised her followers by revealing that her family faced an unprecedented situation, “a moment with no handbook and without a single clue how to navigate this privately, much less publicly,” as she separated from Brandon following 26 years together. (Brandon and Jen exchanged vows in 1993 and are parents to five adult children: Beth, Ben, Gavin, Remy, and Caleb.)
“We are genuine individuals handling this in our everyday existence in real time, and we are striving to do our utmost,” she posted on Instagram then.
In her 2025 memoir, Awake, Jen subsequently claimed that her marriage concluded after she found out Brandon was engaged in an extramarital affair. Brandon issued a public apology for his previous conduct in September 2025, subsequently stating his intention to cease discussing “the details” of his unfaithfulness to move past the issue. (Brandon wed his spouse, Tina, in December 2023, whereas Jen has been with author and activist Tyler Merritt in a committed relationship since her divorce was finalized.)
Introducing Jen Hatmaker: The HGTV Personality Who Experienced Betrayal
Continue reading for a summary of Jen and Brandon's statements regarding their divorce.
Separation Revealed
Jen disclosed her and Brandon's plans to divorce on Instagram, confessing to her audience that the choice came as “completely unexpected.”
“Brandon and I are proceeding with a divorce. While the specifics are solely for us, this came as a total surprise, and I am still reeling as I tell you this. I am astonished, overwhelmed with sorrow, and devastated,” she penned. “Please keep us close to your hearts. Your prayers have been felt over these past weeks. We have received your compassion. Thank you for your kindness. Understand that we are profoundly enveloped by love and have not been solitary for even a moment over two months. Kindly assist in protecting us and ensuring our safety as we endeavor to heal and reconstruct our lives.”
Jen initiated divorce proceedings that August in Hays County, Texas. Neither party publicly stated a reason for their separation then.
Progressing Forward
Jen posted two personal photographs on Instagram — one captured shortly after her separation from Brandon and another taken two years subsequent — to illustrate her journey of recovery to her audience.
“I captured this image … nearly precisely two years prior on August 6th, the day before my birthday. No one was aware of my impending divorce yet, only that something had profoundly amiss, and I had withdrawn from social media as we faced an immense crisis,” she noted about the initial photograph.
Jen confessed that she found it challenging to even glance at the 2020 photograph without being reminded of the anguish and suffering from her divorce.
“I was incredibly, profoundly, deeply sad. I have never experienced that level of sadness, neither before nor since,” she acknowledged. “My expression reflects all the anguish, astonishment, void, and sorrow I never desired. I felt utterly submerged.”
The ex-HGTV personality characterized the more recent photo as evidence that “everything [she] conveyed [in her separation announcement] ultimately proved accurate.”
“What we cultivate in our lives emerges when everything falls apart. No positive contribution is lost; none of the hope, affection, connections, conviction, or esteem. These endure. They accumulate. They expand,” she expressed. “Cling to all the virtues you still dare to champion, still hold faith in. Continue constructing. Persist in selecting what is wholesome, just, genuine, and beautiful.”
The reality television figure further added, “Unintentionally, you will have constructed a magnificent, resilient, steadfast dwelling that will offer refuge during any furious tempest. And when it subsides, you may find yourself beneath that identical tree two years later, smiling from the deepest part of your slightly healed heart … and genuinely meaning it.”
Restructuring Existence
During an appearance on the Tamron Hall Show to promote her podcast “For the Love,” Jen spoke with unprecedented candor about her divorce. She confessed to host Tamron Hall that she feared her life was irreparable following her separation from Brandon.
“I was completely submerged in despair. Utterly desolate, so grim,” she recognized. “I recall believing then, ‘My life is destroyed, I will never experience joy again.’ I genuinely thought that was the truth.”
Jen elaborated, “I simply couldn't imagine a life distinct from the one I had established. I had been wed for 26 years. We had five children.”
Although she initially felt “engulfed in the void,” Jen stated that she eventually understood it was “achievable” to create a rewarding life independent of her marriage.
“What I would communicate is that [the journey] is gradual. It doesn't happen instantaneously, there isn't a prescribed method,” she informed the audience. “I desired [a method] … it's a step-by-step process. One small advancement at a time.”
Infidelity Claim
Jen revealed claims of Brandon's unfaithfulness in her memoir, Awake. She shared with The New York Post that she overheard her spouse whispering at 2 a.m. in July 2020 and concluded that he was likely involved in an affair.
“To a certain extent, I nearly detached emotionally,” she remembered. “It was so far beyond anything I would have ever conceived as a potentiality for our existence, our union, our narrative.”
Upon discovering an alleged “pattern of deception” on Brandon's computer, Jen became concerned she would encounter “monetary disorder” as her husband reportedly expended their funds on “costly and extravagant presents” for another woman.
“It was so astonishing and overwhelming, and I was almost incapable of processing it. I couldn't even weep. I questioned if I would ever experience happiness again,” she recalled. “I believed we were genuinely striving to mend things [through marriage counseling]. We had somewhat reestablished intimacy … And so there, at the very painful conclusion, I thought we were making an effort, but in reality, we were not.”
The writer further stated, “There were numerous unexplained absences, and his phone was constantly, incessantly, perpetually in his grasp or within his view. All the indicators were present, but I chose not to confront them.”
Brandon’s Counter
Brandon addressed the allegations of infidelity on his blog, disclosing that he had initially opted “not to defend” himself “for fear of appearing to offer justifications.”
“Given the publication of Jen's latest book, it has generated considerable discussion. Many of you are unfamiliar with our history and encounter the publicity, peruse the articles, and view the interviews,” he penned. “I've observed several declarations that convey only a fragment of the narrative. Lacking background information, numerous comments have been made that compel the reader or listener to infer the missing details.”
The founder of Austin New Church admitted there were “no justifications” for engaging in an affair, yet he implied that his divorce was more intricate than Jen portrayed.
“I did not simply awaken one morning and choose to have an affair. My affection did not vanish instantaneously,” he asserted. “Our bond was progressing towards a gradual and agonizing conclusion. And I privately grieved the demise of our marriage years prior to our divorce.“
He proceeded, “Allow me to clarify: I comprehend the implications of facing the repercussions of my deeds. My situation in no manner justifies my behavior. The intent of this piece is not to offer apologies or intellectualize anything; its objective is solely to provide background for several aspects that the vast majority, and almost all new followers, lack.”
Brandon explained that he believed his former spouse possessed “every entitlement to recount her part of the narrative” and he did not “fault her” for disclosing it publicly.
“I am convinced that certain truths were omitted, which create an inaccurate portrayal or unduly emphasize aspects that are genuinely significant to me,” Brandon ended. “I'm not asserting that her writings are false. I'm stating that what remains unspoken is not her obligation to reveal. The sole individual capable of doing so is myself.”
Second Marriage Chronology
On his online journal, Brandon presented the claimed sequence of his relationship with his present spouse, Tina, to disprove online gossip suggesting she was his “extramarital associate.”
“I have stated this previously, but I will repeat it now. It's been presumed by some that Tina, my wife, was the person I had an affair with. She was not,” he clarified through Substack. “Tina was in no way implicated in or a factor in my 2020 divorce. Jen confirms this in her publication. To be precise, Tina and I had never encountered each other until after the divorce papers were submitted. This also occurred after Jen informed me that for her, ‘there was no avenue for reconciliation.’”
The Your Big Family Renovation personality specified that he entered into an “exclusive relationship” with Tina solely after his divorce from Jen was concluded.
“Jen and I deliberately postponed the finalization of our divorce for reasons we both consented to. None of those justifications were related to allowing time for marital reconciliation. It was at Jen's urging to defer the divorce, and I concurred,” he clarified. “For those who interpret or accept the assertion that I remarried too hastily… The truth is that Tina and I became engaged two years subsequently in July of 2022 and wed the subsequent December. And I will reiterate: Tina might have preserved my life. Not metaphorically, but factually.”
‘Intimacy-Related Guilt’
Jen spoke about her evangelical background on the “Jamie Kern Lima Show” podcast, disclosing that both she and Brandon carried some “intimacy-related guilt” into their union. The erstwhile evangelical Christian recounted participating in a “sexual instruction” session at church during her teenage years, where she and other young women were cautioned that their sexuality represented a “spotless” and “unblemished” endowment meant exclusively for their husbands.
“That marked the initial occasion in my life where a religious leader conveyed to me that I posed a significant issue, that my physical self was problematic, that I was accountable not only for my own sexual integrity but also for the boys and any sexual transgression that arose; if it was mine, it was my responsibility, and if it was theirs, it was also my responsibility, and that impression was deeply etched into my mind. I am 50 years old. I am still discussing it,” she recollected.
Jen joked that she and Brandon had “compromised the narrative” before their marriage, implying they had not abstained until their wedding night.
“We already entered our partnership laden with guilt, embarrassment, and undisclosed matters, because such topics were not permitted for discussion or honest disclosure,” she stated. “And so one simply suppresses that internally, and it is profoundly damaging.”
Concluding the Chapter
In a subsequent blog post, Brandon clarified that he had addressed “the conjecture and inaccuracies” surrounding his divorce because he believed it would be “both encouraging and beneficial.”
“I also recognize this: dwelling on the past brings no healing,” he proceeded. “Henceforth, I will no longer elaborate on the specifics of those occurrences. I have articulated what was necessary, and it is now time to conclude that segment.”
Brandon expressed gratitude to those who had demonstrated “compassion and comprehension” towards his family in response to his former wife's allegations of infidelity.
“Your endorsement is more significant than you can fathom,” he penned. “The prospects for this platform are promising, and I am eager to discuss subjects that foster vitality, optimism, and recovery.”
