A battle with insomnia, a recently dismissed battery charge and an ongoing lawsuit filed by a disgruntled former employee.
Tarek El Moussa, 44, has long been dubbed the star of HGTV with a picture-perfect marriage and a series of successful house flipping shows.
But in recent months, the self-described ‘king of flipping’ has sparked concern with his ‘sketchy’ behavior on social media and public pleas from fans to help him find his next house renovation project.
Not to mention his legal woes after being charged with misdemeanor battery following a Las Vegas fight, which was dismissed in June, and an ongoing wrongful termination lawsuit filed in 2023 by an ex-employee, which El Moussa denied and responded with a cross-complaint.
El Moussa is currently filming HGTV’s The Flip Off with his second wife, Selling Sunset alum Heather Rae El Moussa, and ex-wife Christina Haack.
But the reality TV personality has also had a past of blowing up on set, and was even seen in a shouting match with Heather on a January episode of The Flipping El Moussas.
HGTV star Tarek El Moussa, 44, has recently sparked concern over his ‘sketchy’ social media behavior and public pleas to his followers
El Moussa (center) stars in HGTV’s The Flip Off alongside his ex-wife Christina Haack (left) and wife Heather Rae El Moussa (right)
Have the pressures of house flipping – and being one of the most well-known stars of HGTV in the last decade – finally caught up to the father of three?
‘He has good days and bad days. And some days, you never know what kind of Tarek you’re going to get,’ one insider exclusively told the Daily Mail.
It’s understood the reality TV personality is ‘under pressure’ to make his current HGTV spin-off, The Flip Off, a major success after The Flipping El Moussas was canceled in July after just two seasons.
‘He chews his fingernails off daily. He can’t sit still. It’s like he sees red and he doesn’t even care where he is, who sees what’s going on – he just becomes unhinged,’ the source continued.
That ‘anxiety’ has since ignited a bout of insomnia for the real estate developer, they added, which prompted his late-night TikTok livestream with fans earlier this week.
The source also shared he is ‘under pressure to keep up this lifestyle of providing for his wife and family.’
Indeed, the couple has acknowledged that their marriage has had its ups and downs since tying the knot in 2021 and welcoming their son, Tristan, in January 2023.
While speaking at Zeta Live, an AI-powered marketing event, on Thursday, El Moussa and Heather shared they are ‘proudly’ in couples therapy, with the latter touching on their struggles.
El Moussa and Heather Rae, who were married in 2021, have admitted they’re in couples therapy. The couple share two-year-old son Tristan
‘There’s a lot of ups and downs in lives,’ Heather said. ‘Marriage is very challenging at times, but so beautiful. Tar and I have had to navigate a lot of things together.
‘But in the end, we are best friends. We have so much fun together and we have to remind each other.’
Of course, filming a reality TV show with your ex-wife comes with its own set of challenges too.
El Moussa and Haack were the original stars of HGTV’s Flip or Flop, which premiered in 2013 and lasted for a whopping 10 seasons. The series followed the real estate and design duo as they flipped houses throughout Orange County, California.
They were married from 2009 to 2018, but continued to co-host Flip or Flop after their divorce. The former couple share daughter Taylor, 15, and son Brayden, 10.
While starring on the show, El Moussa was diagnosed with stage II thyroid cancer in 2013 after a viewer noticed a lump on his neck. Two months later, he learned he had testicular cancer.
After entering remission in 2019, El Moussa suffered a back injury that led to him to develop an addiction to steroids. He’s also been open about his past struggles with alcoholism.
El Moussa’s vulnerability with fans and his unconventional dynamic with Haack quickly made them fan-favorites on HGTV.
El Moussa and Haack were married from 2009 to 2018. They share daughter Taylor, 15, and son Brayden, 10
Haack and El Moussa are the original stars of HGTV’s Flip or Flop, which ran for 10 seasons. The fan-favorite exes have also starred in multiple spin-offs for the network
In fact, the network launched an entire Flip or Flop franchise with several spin-offs, including Christina on the Coast, Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa, The Flipping El Moussas, and their latest show The Flip Off.
The competition show, which was confirmed for a second season in August, tasks the exes with finding, buying, renovating and selling a home, as they battle for the highest return on investment.
Despite all their house-flipping fame, the insider maintained that El Moussa still ‘craves attention and validation’ from both his ex-wife and his fans.
‘He’s obsessed with creating content for social media and is always reading the comments and responding. He’s always on his phone,’ they said. ‘It definitely became a problem at times on set when he needs to be focused on filming. He’s also trying so hard to be validated by Christina, and she knows it.’
However, a representative denied claims that El Moussa seeks ‘validation’ from his ex-wife to the Daily Mail, slamming it as ‘false’.
It seems it was El Moussa’s alleged social media obsession that apparently prompted his recent PSA on Instagram, where he begged fans for their ‘help’ in finding him a house to flip for season two of The Flip Off.
In a video posted last week, El Moussa said he ‘desperately’ needed to find a house to renovate for the competition show. He also posted a video of himself Instagram on September 14, in which he was seen with a Post-it taped to his black T-shirt that read, ‘Follow Me’.
Days later, he asked his followers on TikTok if they would watch a Flip or Flop reboot starring El Moussa, Haack, and his wife Heather.
The series premiere of The Flip Off marked HGTV’s highest-rated new series since 2022
Pictured: Christina Haack in April 2025. The HGTV star continued to co-host Flip or Flop with El Moussa after their divorce in 2018
While some fans questioned El Moussa’s recent social media posts, one insider close to HGTV acknowledged that the house flipping star knows how to use his ‘big audience,’ they said.
‘There’s a reason why he was kept [at HGTV] over a lot of safer options,’ they added.
However, El Moussa’s ongoing legal battle may be what stands in the way of his positive relationship with the family-friendly network.
It was reported by the Daily Mail in February that El Moussa had been accused of threatening an ex-employee and losing his temper at an assistant in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former employee Jeffrey Revoy.
An expected jury trial is currently scheduled for October 12, 2026.
Revoy, 57, initially sued El Moussa and his business partner Peter de Best in August 2023 for various claims including breach of contract, wrongful termination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, assault and failure to prevent harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Employment Housing Act (FEHA).
In February 2024, Revoy fired off a second lawsuit against El Moussa and TEM Capital Management – the star’s real estate investment firm – alleging breach of contract, breach of implied covenant of good and faith and fair dealing and breach of fiduciary duty among other claims.
El Moussa denied all of Revoy’s claims in an official court document filed in California that same month. He then hit back in June with a cross-complaint specifically disputing the allegations in Revoy’s 2023 lawsuit.
El Moussa was previously accused of threatening an ex-employee and losing his temper at an assistant among other things in an ongoing wrongful termination lawsuit, which he disputes
Jeffrey Revoy (pictured) is suing Tarek and other defendants over a list of allegations including breach of contract, wrongful termination and intentional infliction of emotional distress, which they dispute
In his cross-complaint, El Moussa alleged causes of action for Tort of Another, Breach of Fiduciary Duties, Intentional Interference with Prospective Economic Advantage, and Negligent Interference with Prospective Economic Advantage.
El Moussa also stated in the filing that Revoy was hired to serve as CEO of his Tarek Buys Houses company, though he never hired Revoy as an employee at his other business, the Digital Foundation Group.
Instead, he claimed that Revoy ‘unilaterally inserted himself into DFG’s business and attempted to secure an equity position for himself in DFG (as well as other businesses owned by El Moussa).’
In one of the complaints filed by Revoy, he described an alleged incident that took place between El Moussa and one of his assistants on July 21, 2022, while on set filming with HGTV.
‘El Moussa lost his temper and threw a sandwich at one of his assistants, complaining that it did not have mustard,’ Revoy claimed in the complaint.
‘Finding this incident highly upsetting, an unknown member of the production crew filed a complaint reporting the incident to HGTV Human Resources,’ the complaint reads.
‘On information and belief, no formal action was taken by HGTV Human Resources because the person struck by the sandwich was not an employee of HGTV.’
Revoy continued in the court paper: ‘On the same day, a long-time employee of El Moussa (who worked directly with him) submitted a letter of resignation in which she reported ‘inexcusable’ behaviors, including ‘screaming, yelling, cussing and calling names.”
In June, El Moussa was charged with misdemeanor battery following an altercation at the Palazzo at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The charge was dropped in August
In August, El Moussa was forced to complete ‘impulse control counseling’ following an altercation that occurred between El Moussa and another male, whose identity has not been revealed, at the Palazzo at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, last June.
Witnesses claimed that El Moussa drove his knee into the man’s head and knocked him out. A source told the Daily Mail at the time that El Moussa was defending his elderly father when the squabble occurred.
In a statement to TMZ, El Moussa’s attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said: ‘Tarek intends to contest these allegations in a court of law where he will assert his right to self-defense and the defense of his elderly and infirmed father.’
The HGTV personality was not arrested but he was charged with misdemeanor battery.
His case was later dismissed on August 5 after he participated in the court’s Pre-Prosecution Diversion Program and showed proof that he completed the diversion program requirements.
Despite El Moussa’s legal woes, the reality TV star has nonetheless raked in record-breaking numbers for his longtime employer HGTV.
When The Flip Off premiered on HGTV in January, the show was an instant success – marking HGTV’s highest-rated new series since 2022.
While El Moussa may raise eyebrows for his unconventional social media posts, it will take much more for HGTV’s shining star to fall from grace.
‘It’s so far so good,’ our second source said. ‘What’s he going to do next? We don’t know.’