You'll Never Guess Who Actually Pays for the Home Renovations on 'Celebrity IOU'

The only thing better than receiving a gift is giving one, and this is especially true for the guests who appear on HGTV’s Celebrity IOU. In the series, Property Brothers stars Jonathan and Drew Scott help stars repay their personal heroes with the home renovation of their dreams, and we're not crying, you are.

In May 2023, Celebrity IOU returned for Season 6, featuring the following stars:

• Heidi Klum
• Kristin Chenoweth
• Kristin Davis
• Taraji P. Henson
• Derek and Julianne Hough
• Emma Roberts
• Jay Leno
• Glenn Close.

But do the celebrities pay for Celebrity IOU?

In a 2017 Facebook Live video, Jonathan Scott revealed that while HGTV covers the cost of shooting, he and his brother pay for every renovation that we see on their shows. He shared, “Keep in mind, this is Drew and my actual money. We buy these houses ourselves, we put up the money for the renovations ourselves, so everything to do with the project comes out of our pockets.”

While Jonathan and Drew pay for the cost of materials and fees associated with renovations, their relationships with companies like Wayfair help them cut costs on furniture.

“The people who buy these houses are getting a steal of a deal because they’re getting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of furniture and all this extra stuff, top quality materials from the decking to the tile, you name it,” Jonathan added. “And they’d never be able to get it for that price if it wasn’t for the show.”

Although Jonathan revealed who is responsible for the invoice in their previous household renovation spinoffs, it is unclear who pays for the renovations on Celebrity IOU. Reports suggested that Brad Pitt paid to renovate his makeup artist Jean Ann Black's home, but they have not been confirmed by the Property Brothers or the celebrities involved. 

Some fans noted that many of the celebrities featured on Celebrity IOU had more than enough money to execute the home renovations without the Property Brothers and suggested that their appearances on the series were strictly for publicity.

One viewer wrote on Reddit, “The entire project is likely covered by sponsors. Most of the shoes and redesigns are already done on sponsorship — not just HGTV Dream Home — and any kind of link to a celebrity probably provides more opportunity or sponsorship.”

Another user suggested that the entire point of the show is for the celebrity to foot the bill. They commented, “Why wouldn't the celebrity pay? They have enough money — plus it's for a person who is important to them.”

With this in mind, fans are wondering how much Kris Jenner, who was featured on the June 21, 2021, episode of Celebrity IOU, paid to renovate her best friend Lisa’s backyard.

It is unclear how much (if any) money Kris Jenner spent to gift her best friend Lisa Miles with the oasis of her dreams after the loss of her husband and her mother. But Kris and her daughters, Kim and Kendall, invested a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to make it all happen. 

You can watch new episodes of Celebrity IOU Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on HGTV.