HGTV stars Cole and Chelsea Deboer (née Houska) have mastered the art of mixing business and pleasure.
“We actually don’t get sick of each other,” Chelsea, 34, told Us Weekly exclusively at the 2025 CMA Awards in Nashville on Wednesday, November 19. “We just have so much fun. We always do little lunch dates [so] we’re kind of lucky that we get to be together so much.”
Cole, 37, concurred, adding that balancing working together is their “most asked question.”
“This is my best friend, so why not work together and do all the things?” Cole told Us.
The couple — who met at a gas station in South Dakota in 2014 before tying the knot in October 2016 — launched their HGTV show, Down Home Fab, which centers on their home renovation and design business in South Dakota, in early 2023. They have since aired three seasons.
“One thing I’ve learned is that it’s OK to have a team and give them things to do rather than trying to do everything yourself,” Cole told Us of what he’s taken away from the process of the show.
For her part, Chelsea said she has learned the art of “accepting help” and gaining confidence.
“Coming into the HGTV world, we were new to the game, and we were just new to remodeling in general,” she told Us. “Getting that confidence over the last three years, I’m like, OK, now we’re here and we deserve to be here.”
She continued: “I’m such an HGTV fan, so the fact that we get to meet the people I’ve watched on TV, I’m like, ‘This is so cool.’”
Yet, Down Home Fab isn’t the couple’s first rodeo when it comes to reality TV.
Chelsea got her start on MTV’s 16 and Pregnant and subsequently Teen Mom 2 when she had her first daughter, Aubree, with then-boyfriend Adam Lind. Following their split, she sparked a romance with Cole, which fans followed along on Teen Mom 2. (She ultimately left the show after 10 seasons in 2020.)
Chelsea and Cole went on to welcome son Watson Cole in January 2017, daughter Layne in August 2018 and daughter Walker June in January 2021.
In addition to their home renovation series, the couple also have a brick-and-mortar store in South Dakota called Down Home by DeBoers.
“It’s a little western-y vibe, but I like a modern western-y mix,” Chelsea told Us of their business. “We’ve got cow hides everywhere, and so we love it. We just launched online and it’s been amazing.”
The pair donned their very best western chic looks for the CMAs, with Chelsea calling her maroon dress “a little Ella Langley moment.”
“I wanted a cool vibe,” she told Us. “I’m into feathers and stuff right now.”
Cole, on the other hand, kept things simple and sleek with a black suit.
“I had several [outfits], but she had to decide what she wore first, and then I just picked based off hers,” he told Us.
With reporting by Juliet Schroder
