Are 'Rehab Addict' star's personal issues harming the show?
Fox411: 'Rehab Addict' star Nicole Curtis has been in the headlines a lot lately due to her personal issues, but DIY says her headline-making behavior isn't impacting the show.
Home design star Nicole Curtis has been in the headlines a lot lately — and not for her hit show "Rehab Addict."
Last week, the 41-year-old star made news for her decision to breastfeed her 30-month-old son, which she said has led to backlash from many who believe he is too old to breastfeed. Meanwhile, Curtis has been in and out of courtrooms for several years, facing off with her ex, the city of Minneapolis and even her own mother.
With all of her personal struggles, she is quickly becoming one of Scripps Networks' most controversy-ridden stars.
But DIY Network, which is owned by Food Network and HGTV’s parent company Scripps Networks, said Curtis’ headline-making behavior isn’t impacting the show.
“‘Rehab Addict’ is currently on the air, and we are in active production for new episodes of the series,” a rep for DIY told Fox News.
However, the 8th season of her DIY show was, in fact, temporarily delayed in April 2017 because of her troubles. Curtis cited the death of her grandmother as the reason for the show’s unexpected hiatus.
Still, experts say DIY fans want to watch Curtis succeed, which will help boost the show’s mainstream presence.
“Audiences like to watch as people wade through problems and rise above them. There is a good and inspiring message in that,” said pop culture enthusiast Cate Meighan.
And Dr. John Huber, a psychologist, told Fox News Curtis’ public problems could make the home design show more intriguing.
“…If her problem cards are played well they could become a marketing goldmine,” he said. “No one has ever said living in the limelight is easy, and Nicole has her 30-month-old, her contractors and national media that she has to balance. This could be a drama worth watching!”
Curtis is engaged in a very public custody battle with the father of her 2 ½-year-old son Harper. The bitter battle has, at times, been chronicled by Curtis on Instagram, where she lamented about some of the issues she faced while sharing joint custody of Harper.
And back in 2015, her mother filed a protective order against her, which made headlines earlier this year, right around the time she was sued by the city of Minneapolis over a dispute regarding a home she purchased from the city.
But Meighan warned Curtis likely can’t keep up the drama for too long or DIY may take action.
The design network features a feud-free brand of reality TV, where the biggest drama is typically a corroded pipe or a decaying roof.
"Her problems and negative press has already disrupted things, and I believe that will only be allowed once,” Meighan speculated. “ The next action would be to pull the plug on the series all together.”
But DIY likely won’t ditch the show if the network can help it. Ratings for the show have held steady since the show first premiered in 2010. DIY told Fox News, per Nielsen, “Rehab Addict” is a top-five rated program on DIY Network.
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