Hawaii's Attorney General's Office alleges Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama depicted Native Hawaiian remains without obtained written permission to do so
Credit: HGTV
NEED TO KNOW
- HGTV’s Renovation Aloha allegedly aired footage of Native Hawaiian burial remains, violating state laws protecting cultural sites
- A lawsuit claims hosts Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama shared images of the remains on Instagram without required consent from authorities
- HGTV re-edited the episode and apologized, stating they take concerns from the Native Hawaiian community seriously
HGTV's Renovation Aloha is facing legal trouble after last week's episode allegedly showed the remains of Native Hawaiian ancestors, a violation of state law.
The series, which first aired in 2024, follows married couple Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama as they renovate homes across Oahu for their clients. But a new installment in the series — season 3, episode 3, which premiered on April 14 — caught the attention of the state's Attorney General's Office.
According to a civil complaint filed on April 14 in the Third Circuit Court of Hawaii, obtained by PEOPLE, the show discovered human skeletal remains at a residential renovation project site while filming. Based on the location of the property, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) had reason to believe the remains may constitute iwi kūpuna.
Iwi kūpuna, or skeletal remains of Native Hawaiian ancestors, are afforded “the highest level of protection,” according to the complaint. State law specifically prohibits the taking, appropriation, excavation, destructioor alteration of burial sites. Additionally, the photography of those remains is "prohibited, unless written consent is first obtained” from relevant authorities.
Credit: HGTV
The state alleges the Kalamas “posted video and photographic content to their public Instagram account (@kamohaiandtristyn) that appears to depict the human skeletal remains,” per the complaint. They specifically mentioned at least one Instagram Story that remained available at the time of filing.
The state also alleges that a recent episode of Renovation Aloha contained footage depicting the human skeletal remains, despite the couple reportedly never obtaining written consent from either the appropriate burial council or DLNR.
“The broadcast of footage depicting ʻiwi kūpuna on national television causes profound and irreparable harm to the Native Hawaiian community, to the State's interest in protecting its cultural resources, and to the dignity and sanctity of the ancestors whose remains were depicted” the state argues in the complaint.
The lawsuit names Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama, HGTV, Discovery Inc. and producer Nathan Fields as defendants. The motion is seeking an unspecified amount in civil penalties and a permanent injunction ordering the defendants to remove any online or broadcast content showing the remains.
“We take the concerns raised by the Native Hawaiian community very seriously and are committed to ensuring our programming is respectful and appropriate,” an HGTV spokesperson said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “We apologize to anyone who found any part of the episode offensive, as that was not HGTV's intention.”
According to the Deadline, HGTV re-edited the episode, entitled “Bones on the Big Island,” to remove all footage of the remains. The episode notes that local authorities were contacted as soon as the remains were discovered and, out of respect, the couple decided not to develop on the lot.
Kamohai and Tristyn took to Instagram Live last week to address the episode, saying they followed protocols known to them, emphasizing they never intended to build on the land.
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PEOPLE has reached out to the Kalamas and Nathan Fields' production company, Fields Entertainment, for comment.
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