Overview

• Back to the Frontier features Jason Hanna and Joe Riggs, a same-sex couple raising twin boys, among three families living eight weeks without modern conveniences.
• Franklin Graham criticized the casting decision on X, calling it “very disappointing” and asserting that promoting homosexuality is “in itself sin.”
• Chip Gaines responded on social media with posts urging critics to “talk, ask questions, listen” and condemning quick judgment by “modern American Christian culture.”
• Hanna and Riggs told the Dallas Morning News and their Instagram followers that their participation offers “an opportunity to normalize families like ours” and underscores the importance of visibility.
• The debate continues to divide Magnolia’s evangelical fan base as the series airs new episodes on Magnolia Network and HBO Max each Thursday.