Disaster struck today on HGTV’s assembly line of shows about buying and/or selling homes, as a batch of house-flipping programs was found to be contaminated by a couple of hosts who don’t much care for gay people. Last month, the network announced that it was set to churn out nine new TV shows about houses, but one of them, Flip It Forward, is tainted by right-wing unpleasantness. The unaired show was going to be hosted by twin brothers David and Jason Benham, whose preacher dad, Flip Benham, has headed up the abortion-clinic protest group Operation Save America. Flip keeps busy, as Right Wing Watch reported yesterday:
As leader of OSA, Benham has condemned the interfaith Sandy Hook memorial, protested in front of mosques while shouting “Jesus Hates Muslims” and blamed the Aurora shooting on the Democratic Party, which he said promotes a “culture of death.”
He has also protested LGBT pride events, interrupted church services during a sermon by “sodomite Episcopalian bishop” Gene Robinson and was found “guilty of stalking a Charlotte abortion doctor after passing out hundreds of ‘wanted’ posters with the physician’s name and photo on it.” Benham even blamed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on abortion rights.
HGTV presumably had no knowledge of Flip Benham’s controversial activities—or, just as likely, they knew all about him but could not resist the idea of a house-flipping show featuring guys whose dad is named Flip.
Right Wing Watch’s reporting also documents the righteous acts of David Benham, which include a prayer rally at the 2012 Democratic National Convention (where he was joined in protest by brother Jason). David told a conservative radio host that the rally was intended in part as a pushback against “homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation.” This despite the fact that it would be totally hot if he and his brother kissed.
After momentarily halting the HGTV production line so that sweat-soaked factory workers could use their glistening muscles to pull Flip It Forward from the conveyor belt, the network told reporters it would have no further comment. Then the vast works resumed its furious clatter, and the laborers thrust themselves into the other hot pieces of new house-themed entertainment that sorely need their attention, namely Fixer Upper, Genevieve’s Renovation, The Jennie Garth Project, My Big Family Renovation, Vacation House For Free, Flipping The Block, Sold On The Spot, and The Brothers Big Reno Project. [via Variety]