‘Too Late’: HGTV Star Blames Crew for ‘Manipulated’ Leaked Footage of Her Using a Racial Slur After She Got ‘The Ole’ Paula Dean Treatment’
The blowback has been brutal for the star of the HGTV program “Rehab Addict” following the leaked video of her using an offensive term used for black people.
Nicole Curtis was the star of the reality DIY show, or at least she was until the network fired her and kicked her to the curb over an incident that occurred on set while the cameras were rolling. The long-standing clean-up she had been involved in kept this situation hidden for years. But no one’s buying her excuses now.
Curtis was fired after leaked footage showed her using a racial slur while filming “Rehab Addict.” In a leaked RadarOnline clip, the 49-year-old is seen standing on a ladder while removing a wire from a frame during a renovation.
After she complained that the wire was “her last one,” she bluntly exclaimed, “Oh, fart n—r,” to which the crew laughed.
Curtis immediately tried to save herself, “What the f—k is that I just said? Nick, you gotta, you gotta, can you kill that?”
After being told, “No. I’ve got 35 minutes. I’m not killing it,” Curtis exclaimed, “Oh, f—k my life.”
Once the clip went viral on social media, the attacks were instant. HGTV felt they had no choice but to cancel Curtis’s reality show and remove it from all platforms on the same day.
HGTV star Nicole Curtis of “Rehab Addict” caught on camera using a Racial slur pic.twitter.com/MtYIo85DaC
— We told you So (@terri4436166795) February 11, 2026
“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,” read a statement from the network.
“Accordingly, we have removed the series from all HGTV platforms. We remain dedicated to fostering a culture of respect and inclusion across our content and our workplace.”
In an attempt to save her career and image, Curtis later told TMZ in a statement, “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.” She concluded, “The people who truly know my character and where my heart.”
She later drafted a lengthy statement for her Instagram followers to control the narrative.
“I haven’t been hiding, ignoring, waiting for this to pass. I’ve just been playing this all over and over again and watching the video and having this all out together to say the right thing, do the right thing after doing the wrongest of wrongs. I am sorry,” said Curtis. “I am filled with remorse and regret, just as much as I was one second after that word was said 4 years ago in 2022.”
After taking accountability, she flipped the script, claiming, “You are getting a limited view as what has been circulating is a clip of MY footage that was stolen then manipulated, edited and sold to [a] tabloid to coincide with my return to television only to create this chaos of hate, anger, disappointment.”
Curtis insists she knew she was “wrong” and she’s “not okay with the fact that I said that,” declaring, “This will never happen again.” She then did the typical “Karen” move, describing herself as “the white, small blonde” who understands the word “represents evil, pain, torture, trauma when used by someone like me.”
“I am and have been submerged in the African American community my entire adult life,” said the mom of two, noting her choice to live and work in the inner cities like Detroit, where she claims she heard the n-word frequently.
“I throw together words no different than “son of [a] beehive digger” or “fart knocker.”
The reality star ended her message with “Cont….” but failed to follow up. But the reactions to Curtis’ apology were unsympathetic as one Facebook user replied, “How do you put those 2 words together…Unless it’s been in the family for generations?”
Reactions to her apology were unsympathetic after the video was shared online. One Facebook user replied, “How do you put those 2 words together…Unless it’s been in the family for generations?”
Another joked about another fired reality TV star who used racial slurs and lost everything, including her good name and career: “She got the ole’ Paula Dean treatment,” added one.
After begging for forgiveness, Dean described her use of the N-word as a “mistake,” claiming she felt pressured to apologize after losing brand deals. However, her rebranding efforts have not had the same success.
Like Dean, many suspect Curtis uses the derogatory word more often when the cameras are not filming. One user aptly noted, “Rolled off the tongue way too easily,” while another exclaimed, “Shiiid she’s been saying that.”
A final user summed up what everyone else felt about her apology. “Naw, heffa. We heard you loud n clear, and with the hard er, too.”
“Rehab Addict” had been on the air since 2010 and featured Curtis renovating historic and dilapidated houses.