NEWSNicole Curtis Gets Backlash for Claiming She's 'Not the Victim' in Odd Apology Following N-Word Scandal: 'Do Better'
Nicole Curtis faced backlash after apologizing for a leaked clip in which she used the N-word.
Feb. 13 2026, Published 7:34 a.m. ET
Nicole Curtis is facing major backlash after sharing her apology over leaked footage in which she used the N-word.
On Thursday, February 12, the Rehab Addict star took to Instagram after her show was removed from all HGTV platforms, following the release of a clip showing her saying a racial slur.
Nicole Curtis apologized for using a racial slur.
“This isn’t a post I ever thought I’d be writing and I’ve drafted this more times than I can count and nothing seems to be enough. There is anger, there is hate, there is pain. I’m here to take it. I haven’t been hiding, ignoring, waiting for this to pass. I’ve just been playing this all over and over again and watching the video and having this all out together to say the right thing, do the right thing after doing the wrongest of wrongs,” she began, adding a close-up photo of a brick wall.
“I am sorry. I am filled with remorse and regret, just as much as I was one second after that word was said 4 years ago in 2022. I show this, I say this and I realize you are getting a limited view as what has been circulating is a clip of MY footage that was stolen then manipulated, edited and sold to a tabloid to coincide with my return to television only to create this chaos of hate, anger, disappointment,” Curtis added.
She continued, saying she “make no excuse for this” and she is “not the victim.”
The HGTV star said she is 'not the victim' in a long post.
“Nothing I say or do will take that moment 4 years ago away. I know it was wrong. This will never happen again,” Curtis explained, clarifying she wasn’t “addressing this because I was ‘caught.’”
Curtis said she was “submerged in the African American community my entire adult life” and “hears that word on a daily basis.” Yet, she admitted she “doesn’t have an answer” for why the N-word “just easily came out” at that moment.
Unsurprisingly, the comments section blew up.
“You deserve what you are getting because that is not a word that just ‘slips’ move forward and DO BETTER,” one user wrote.
Another said, “Why didn’t you apologize in 2022? You knew you said it, you knew it was recorded, and yet you hoped no one would ever find out. Your apology is late and selling it to a tabloid is not at all the same as you using that word.”
“Dude, give us a break. Don’t act like you’ve never said it before. You’re not remorseful that you said it,” a third chimed in.
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HGTV removed Nicole Curtis' show after seeing the clip.
RadarOnline.com released the footage on Wednesday, February 11. In it, Curtis appears frustrated during a renovation, saying, "Why? It's the last one. Oh, fart n-----” after construction issues.
Almost immediately, Curtis seemed to realize her slip-up and asked the crew to delete it.
"What the f--- is that I just said?" she questioned, as laughter could be heard off camera. "Nick, you gotta, you gotta, can you kill that? F--- my life."
The canceled star said footage was 'edited.'
HGTV also weighed in after reviewing the footage.
They said they were "recently made aware of an offensive racial comment made during the filming of Rehab Addict."
"We understand that language like this is hurtful and disappointing to our viewers, partners, and employees, and it does not align with the values of HGTV," the network explained.
As a result of the incident, the network confirmed they have "removed the series from all HGTV platforms."
"We remain dedicated to fostering a culture of respect and inclusion across our content and our workplace," they added.
Rehab Addict originally premiered in 2010 and returned to HGTV in June 2025 for Season 9.
