Christina Haack (formerly Hall) had fans reeling with her latest Instagram post!
The HGTV star posted a photo with her “great friend” Jared Merrell celebrating his birthday on Saturday.
“Happy birthday to my brother from another mother. @jaredjstar25 Thank you for ALWAYS being such a great friend. Love you and our family so much. So happy to be celebrating you all weekend,” the Christina on the Coast host wrote alongside a photo of her and Merrell posing closely with their arms around one another.
The comments were immediately flooded with fans who interpreted the post as Christina revealing a new romantic partner just three months after she split from her third husband, Josh Hall, with whom she’s currently entangled in a contentious divorce.
“Omg! Not another husband.” wrote one follower.
“WHO IS YOUR MAN NOW,” commented another.
A third simply wrote, “Ut-oh.”
Several commenters admitted they thought the same at first, but realized they were mistaken after giving the caption a closer read. “Lmao! I first thought she was introducing us to a new boyfrined! I was like damn girl slow down!!” wrote one.
Another fan speculated that the post was meant to cause confusion, writing, “She wanted us to believe at first look that she’s introducing us to her new boyfriend…..she wanted that”
Still, another follower felt the photo was a little too cozy for friends. “If I were his wife… I wouldn’t be okay with such a close pic. Just saying…girl code.”
For his part, Merrell responded simply, “Thank you Love you,” adding a red heart emoji.
Merrell is the owner of JStar Auto Group, a pre-owned car dealership located in Anaheim, Calif. according to his Instagram bio. He also posted a photo of his birthday cake, which features a collage of photos of himself from years past seemingly doing some modeling.
In her Instagram Stories, Christina also reshared a photo posted by a friend that shows her in a hot tub with three other women, one of whom appears to be Jared’s wife as her username is @mrsjstar25. He wished her a happy 20th anniversary in a recent Instagram post of his own. The group appear to be on a birthday trip for Jared to Punta Mita, Mexico.
The car salesman seems to be friends not only with Christina, but with her ex-husbands, as well. He’s followed by Tarek El Moussa, whom Christina was married to for seven years until 2018, and Ant Anstead, to whom she was married for two and a half years until 2021. Tarek’s new wife, Heather El Moussa, also follows him.
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Christina and Josh split in July 2024. The formerly Austin-based real estate agent filed for divorce on July 15 citing “irreconcilable differences” and asking for spousal support on July 15. Christina responded with a filing of her own on July 24, which asked that neither party receive financial support.
Christina has since alleged that Josh asked for $65,000 per month from her, which he has denied.
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The pair are also currently in a dispute regarding her Tennessee home, which a source previously told PEOPLE Josh has been staying in since the split. The exes agreed to the arrangement in a September legal filing obtained by PEOPLE, but Christina listed the house for sale for $4.5 million shortly thereafter.
Josh was also meant to be a part of Christina’s upcoming new HGTV show, The Flip Off, which also stars Tarek and Heather. However the three of them have been seen filming several times since the divorce filing and Josh was not present. HGTV has not officially addressed the status of Josh’s involvement in the series, premiering in early 2025.
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