Tarek El Moussa (born August 21, 1981) is a real estate investor and television personality. He is best known for co-hosting
HGTV
HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. As of February 2015, appr ...
's ''
Flip or Flop
''Flip or Flop'' is an American television series that aired on HGTV, hosted by the formerly-married couple Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall. The program was the original show in the ''Flip or Flop'' franchise, debuting in 2013.
The ninth s ...
'' alongside his ex-wife
Christina Hall. The pair found success
flipping houses
Flipping is a term used to describe purchasing a revenue-generating asset and quickly reselling (or "flipping") it for profit.
Within the real estate industry, the term is used by investors to describe the process of buying, rehabbing, and sel ...
as an alternative to their previous business of selling real estate, which took a hit during the
2008 economic crisis.
Professional background
El Moussa got his real estate license in 2002, at the age of 21. He had a lucrative career selling real estate until the
2008 economic crisis, when the business he shared with then-wife,
Christina Haack, began to struggle.
At that time, the couple had no choice but to give up their $6,000/month home to move to a $700/month apartment. The pair then ventured into a new real estate strategy -
flipping houses
Flipping is a term used to describe purchasing a revenue-generating asset and quickly reselling (or "flipping") it for profit.
Within the real estate industry, the term is used by investors to describe the process of buying, rehabbing, and sel ...
. During their first flip, El Moussa submitted an audition tape to
HGTV
HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. As of February 2015, appr ...
that followed the pair's process of flipping a house. The network picked up the show, which has seen a popular 10-season run, with season 10 premiering on
HGTV
HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. As of February 2015, appr ...
in December 2021.
Despite the couple's divorce, they continued working together on ''
Flip or Flop
''Flip or Flop'' is an American television series that aired on HGTV, hosted by the formerly-married couple Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall. The program was the original show in the ''Flip or Flop'' franchise, debuting in 2013.
The ninth s ...
'', with Tarek saying to
''People'', "From the beginning, HGTV has shown Christina and me tremendous support and we are excited to go out there and flip many more houses for ''Flip or Flop.''"
In 2020, El Moussa launched a second HGTV show, ''
Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa'', in which he serves as a mentor to novice house-flippers. On December 2, 2022, he and his second wife Heather Rae shared a first look at their upcoming show "The Flipping El Moussas", set to release on March 2, 2023.
Personal life
Tarek El Moussa was born on August 21, 1981 to a
Lebanese Catholic father, whose family migrated to Egypt, and a Belgian mother in Long Beach, California. In 2000, he graduated from
Sunny Hills High School
Sunny Hills High School (SHHS) is a public high school located in Fullerton, California, United States. Established in 1959, it is part of the Fullerton Joint Union High School District.
The campus, consisting mostly of single-story open plan bu ...
in
Fullerton, California
Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617.
Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Sa ...
. He married
Christina Haack in May 2009. The couple met while working at a real estate office, later entering into business together.
Their daughter was born on September 22, 2010. Their son was born on August 20, 2015.
In 2013, Tarek was diagnosed with cancer. A ''Flip or Flop'' viewer, nurse Ryan Reade, "noticed that at certain angles, at certain times, it just caught my eye that Tarek had a lump on his throat" and contacted producers. Tarek has been in remission since 2014.
Tarek and Christina divorced in 2018.
El Moussa started dating actress and real estate agent
Heather Rae Young
__NOTOC__
The following is a list of ''Playboy Playmates of 2010''.
Playboy magazine names its Playmate of the Month each month throughout the year.
January
Jaime Faith Edmondson (born December 30, 1978) is an American model. She is the ''Playboy ...
in 2019. They married October 23, 2021, at the
Rosewood
Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues.
True rosewoods
All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in ...
Miramar Beach Hotel in
Montecito. The wedding was the subject of the
Discovery+
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discover ...
special "''Tarek and Heather: The Big I Do."''
In July 2022, the couple announced Heather's pregnancy and that they were expecting a baby boy, conceived through
IVF
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating an individual's ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) f ...
, in early 2023.
Tarek announced their son's birth on January 31, 2023, on Instagram.
Tarek reportedly dedicated a star to Heather Rae in September 2022, through the
International Star Registry
The International Star Registry (ISR) is an organization founded in 1979, which sells the right to unofficially name stars.
Overview
The company sells the right to unofficially name a star, often as a gift or memorial. These names are recorded i ...
.
They have also stated that they've considered having more children in the future and "still have the embryos" from Heather's IVF treatments.
Filmography
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moussa, Tarek
1981 births
American people of Lebanese descent
American people of Belgian descent
American television hosts
American real estate brokers
Living people