The ex-boyfriend of Nicole Curtis - the TV personality fired from her HGTV gig after she was caught on camera using the 'N-word' - says while he's not a fan, he doesn't believe she's racist.
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Ryan Sawtelle worked with Curtis on the show Rehab Addict, which was canceled Wednesday after a clip published by Radar showed Curtis saying the phrase, 'Oh, fart n*****.'
Sawtelle told TMZ that he and Curtis dated on and off throughout a 10-year span with things ending on poor terms, as he described her to the outlet as a bad person.
'As much as I dislike her - and it may be validating to see her get in trouble - she is unequivocally not a racist,' Sawtelle said. 'Nor has she ever said anything racially insensitive over the years we dated, and I have known her' a long time.
In the incident leading to her dismissal, cameras were rolling on the TV series as Curtis, 49, had been working on renovations, removing a wire from a frame, prior to uttering the racial slur.
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Daily Mail has reached out to Curtis for further comment on the story.
The ex-boyfriend of Nicole Curtis - the TV personality fired from her HGTV gig after she was caught on camera using the 'N-word' - says while he's not a fan, he doesn't believe she's racist
Sawtelle told the outlet that he had been holding the ladder Curtis had been standing on at the time she uttered the bigoted phrase.
'It was so unexpected, the crew laughed because we knew that isn't her,' Sawtelle said.
Sawtelle said that he saw Curtis treating other crew members poorly - and noted that she had been sued in the past for not paying business associates - so it came as no surprise to see the damaging clip leaked to the media.
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'The bottom line here is that videos like this are not leaked to damage "good" people,' Sawtelle said.
Curtis, in a statement to TMZ, implied that the clip of her using the N-word had been doctored to make her look bad.
'It is a manipulated, edited version,' said Curtis. 'I appreciate that Ryan has admitted to the correct nature of the video.'
Curtis told the outlet that the clip that wound up getting her show canceled had not even been filmed for HGTV in the first place.
'This footage was shot for my own use, documenting our house restoration,' Curtis said. 'There was no contract with HGTV in 2022. This house was not filmed for HGTV in 2022.'
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Curtis apologized after she was caught on camera using the 'N word' during filming of her series Rehab Addict - which was canceled Wednesday amid the scandal
Curtis implied that the clip of her using the N-word had been doctored to make her look bad
In a follow-up statement she posted to Instagram Wednesday evening, Curtis said 'there is more' to the situation, without delving into specifics
Should one mistake caught on camera cost someone their entire career?
Curtis said that she and Sawtelle 'have only communicated through attorneys for the past few years,' and that 'he has had no involvement with the show that I produced on my own dime.'
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She said of her ex, 'He argued for a glory title, and we gave it to him.'
Despite Curtis acknowledging Sawtelle's insistence she had never exhibited racist tendencies, she described him as 'not someone to speak on any culture of any set of ours.'
Curtis said that her construction crew was not fond of Sawtelle in the wake of their stormy relationship.
'My guys do not care for him because of the hell I went through with knowing him,' Curtis said. 'I've done my best to be cordial and aired him in the best light. He continues to bring disruption to mine.'
On Wednesday, the preservation expert stressed that the utterance was a fluke, and she is not a person who uses the phrase, ever.
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'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,' said Curtis.
Curtis told the outlet that the network's call to cancel the show - which had been slated to come back after a hiatus - caught her off-guard.
HGTV's Nicole Curtis has been caught on camera using the 'N word'
The Rehab Addict host begged her cameraman to delete the footage in a leaked tape
A spokesperson for HGTV told Daily Mail that it was aware of an offensive racial comment made during the filming of Rehab Addict.
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They said: '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.
'Accordingly, 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.'
Curtis told TMZ in the wake of the cancellation: 'I'm grateful for the 15-year journey we've shared. 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 follow-up statement she posted to Instagram, Curtis said 'there is more' to the situation, without delving into specifics.
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'There is more to this, but my family comes first and I need to be mom right now more than anything else,' Curtis said. 'I will take the time to be as I've always been with you, transparent and honest.
'TMZ called me as I had just turned my phone on after being at school. I said this briefly, but there is more.'
Sawtelle said that he saw Curtis treating other crew members poorly so it came as no surprise to see the damaging clip leaked to media
Curtis has hosted Rehab Addict on HGTV since it premiered in 2010
Reactions to Curtis' statement varied, as some were supportive, as one user said, 'Nicole you do whatever you need to do. family comes first. ALWAYS. GOD BLESS you and your lovely family!'
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Others poked holes in the explanation the TV personality gave for her use of the slur.
'There is more? No, not really,' one user said. 'That word doesn't slip out unless you use it.'
Another mocked Curtis in writing, 'I’m sorry I was caught, I’m not sorry I said it.'
One user said, 'Unfollowed' with a middle finger emoji, adding, they were 'a white woman that word NEVER "slips" because I don't ever say it.'
In a video shared with Radar, Curtis appeared to immediately realize the mistake she made, at one point trying to persuade the camera crew to delete the footage.
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She said, 'What the f*** is that I just said? Nick, you gotta, you gotta, can you kill that? F*** my life.'
Reactions to Curtis' statement varied, as some were supportive - and some weren't
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The video was captured approximately two years ago and appears to match with scenes that aired in the season 10 episode Nicole Goes West, which aired in June 2025, the Radar report indicated.
The footage was not included in the final cut of the episode.
Rehab Addict premiered on HGTV in 2010 and had been airing its ninth season before it was shelved Wednesday following the incident involving Curtis.
The series followed Curtis as she restores crumbling historic homes to their former glory.
Last year, the show was dramatically pulled from the air mid-series after just two episodes.
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At the time, Curtis explained to her fans in a post shared on Instagram: 'I appreciate your support and understanding for the late notice.'
She said, 'It's just a lot of hours (my hours) to get a show on air and we (my family +me) thought -why are we giving up summer when we have the ability to do this in the fall?
'Thank you to the powers that be at HGTV that were receptive to our idea.'
The television personality gave a shout out to her production crew on February 11
On Tuesday, Curtis expressed her gratitude to her small crew, which is made up of two cameras and her 'construction guys'.
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'We had squatters, drugs, human waste, the nastiest you can imagine and we ended up with the beautiful Doris house,' she said on Instagram, addressing the results of one of her projects.
She added, 'I'll go to my last breath being proud that I did this more real, more raw than anyone else.
'There's never been 100 people, let alone, 25 people, even 10 people labeled production when I'm working. It's me, it's my construction guys, on big days (meaning there's a huge build like roof going on) it's two cameras, but most, it's one.'