HGTV cancels 'Rehab Addict' after star Nicole Curtis uses a racial epithet during filming

In video obtained by a celebrity news website, the host can be heard using a slur against Black people.
Nicole Curtis.
Nicole Curtis in Minneapolis in 2010.Bruce Bisping / Star Tribune via Getty Images file
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HGTV has canceled the home renovation reality series "Rehab Addict" after host Nicole Curtis made what the cable channel described as an "offensive racial comment" during filming.

"Not only is language like this hurtful and disappointing to our viewers, partners, and employees — it does not align with the values of HGTV," the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cable network said in a statement.

"Accordingly," the network added, "we 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."

In video obtained by Radar Online, Curtis can be heard using a racial slur against Black people while working on a home renovation for the show. She seems to immediately realize what she said and can then be heard asking for someone to “kill it.”

"Rehab Addict" appears to have been scrubbed from Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming platforms. HBO Max and Discovery+ did not return search results for the show's title Thursday.

Curtis' manager did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment Thursday.

In a statement to the celebrity news website TMZ, Curtis said: "I want to be clear: the word in question is wrong and not part of my vocabulary and never has been, and I apologize to everyone."

"I'm grateful for the 15-year journey we've shared," she added. "It's been a meaningful chapter, but my focus isn't on my career. My focus, at this moment, is rightfully on my relationships, and my community — the people who truly know my character and where my heart is."

In a post to her Instagram story, alongside screenshots of her text exchange with TMZ, Curtis wrote: "There is more to this, but my family comes first and I need to be mom right now more than anything else."

"Rehab Addict" debuted on the DIY cable channel in October 2010. The series moved to HGTV in January 2014. Eighty-three episodes have aired across eight seasons. DIY has since rebranded as the Magnolia Network.