HGTV cancelled Flip It Forward, a new show scheduled to premiere in October, after it was reported that hosts David and Jason Benham are anti-gay activists.
HGTV announced their decision on Wednesday, May 7, on their Facebook and Twitter pages, though they did not give a reason for the cancellation.
The show would have followed twins David and Jason Benham as they helped families find new homes. “In each episode, the guys help a deserving family find a fixer-upper and transform it into their forever home – with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry between the brothers along the way,” reads the official description of Flip It Forward.
The Benham brothers insist that they have never, nor would they ever, discriminate against people, but accept HGTV’s decision.
“Anyone who suggests we hate homosexuals or people of other faiths is either misinformed or lying… We do not, nor will we ever discriminate against people who do not share our views,” the Benham Brothers wrote in a statement.
“With all of the grotesque things that can be seen and heard on television today you would think there would be room for two twin brothers who are faithful to our families, committed to biblical principles and dedicated professionals. If our faith costs us a television show then so be it,” the statement concludes.
Furthermore, David and Jason Benham declared their intentions to finish the work they started for the show. They still have 6 homes to finish remodeling for families in Charlotte.
“With or without the cameras, we are fully committed to helping these six deserving families learn how to flip homes. And you know what… we’re super excited to do it! They came to us to learn how to flip homes. Today we are on set and we are going to coach them all the way through,” the brothers wrote on their official website.
Jason and David Benham make no attempt to hide their Christian faith. When not flipping houses, the brothers travel and give inspirational talks about business and their religion and one look at their individual Twitter feeds is enough to see how committed they are to their faith. They even call their business “missioneering.”
In 2012, David Benham organized a massive Christian rally in Charlotte, coinciding with the Democratic National Convention, and said that he wanted to help popularize the belief that marriage is defined as only between one man and one woman.
“…we have abortion on demand; we have no-fault divorce; we have pornography and perversion; we have a homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation; we have adultery; we have all of the things; we even have allowed demonic ideologies to take our universities and our public school systems while the church sits silent and just builds big churches,” David Benham is quoted as saying at the event.
Their father, Flip Benham, is an evangelical minister who is known for his extreme opposition to abortion, divorce and homosexuality. The elder Benham founded ‘Operation Save America,’ whose goal is to end the “abortion holocaust” through Christinaity.
Christian media and conservative pundits are outraged by HGTV’s decision, claiming that their actions violate a person’s freedom and the First Amendment.
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