Christina Haack, Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa Open Up About Co-Parenting

In a small hotel room in Los Angeles, surrounded by cameras and bright lights, Tarek El Moussa sits between Christina Haack and Heather Rae El Moussa — his ex-wife and new wife, respectively. Between them, they have three kids (Taylor, 14; Brayden, 9; and Tristan, 2); five HGTV shows; and years of experience in three different verticals of real estate. They’re together to promote HGTV's The Flip Off, a competition series during which Tarek and Heather go head-to-head against Christina to see who can find, renovate and flip a Los Angeles-based home for the highest profit.

This final press push comes the day before The Flip Off Season 1 premiere. Twenty-one journalists sit down in front of them to conduct 21 separate interviews. I am the last of the day, so I know not to ask the one question that's already been thrown at them several times. It is, of course, the obvious, “So, what’s it like working with your ex?”

The question is valid, but the real story lies in the fact that Christina, Tarek and Heather are able to comfortably compete against one another in a playful way, with full confidence their relationship with one another — and their relationship with their kids — will be fine no matter who wins.

In my opinion, the real question is: “What did it take to get you and your families to the level of camaraderie you have today?”

In other words, what's their secret to good co-parenting? This is what I ask.

Co-Parenting With Christina, Tarek and Heather

It's no longer novel to see Christina, Tarek and Heather in the same room. They’ve been posting funny, skit-like videos on their personal social media accounts for months leading up to The Flip Off. Fans love that the three of them seem to be genuine friends and praise them for the example they're setting for the kids.

In fact, The Flip Off gives us a glimpse into what their co-parenting style looks like. We see them at Brayden's soccer games and dropping the kids off at each other's houses. We see Tarek standing by the mother of his children when she needs support. It's a fun, yet intriguing dynamic — and a rarity to see two exes and their new spouses getting along so well, let alone filming a competition television show together. Ahead, they give us a look inside their co-parenting journey.

On Mastering Co-Parenting

Tarek: The co-parenting has been smooth going all the way back to 2016. Divorce is very tough, and kids are sensitive and we want to make sure the kids are taken care of. Over the last four years, it’s gotten even stronger bringing Heather into our world, and Heather being a stepmom and building a relationship with Christina, and all of us working together. It’s brought us all back together as a family.

Christina: Despite any issues or arguments that we were having, the kids never knew about any of it, right? The kids have never thought we weren't getting along, but those are issues from a while ago. Things have been good for many years.

Heather: The kids get extra love.

Christina: They're super happy kids.

Heather: It's nice too because [Christina] and I can help keep each other organized, because there's a lot of school stuff and sports stuff. She and I are constantly talking everyday about that stuff. We share the sports bags and the school backpacks. It's a lot of coordinating and really helping each other.

HGTV: Do you think they're going to watch The Flip Off?

Group: [laughs] Oh yeah, we're going to make them.

Christina: We're having a premiere party at my house tomorrow night and the kids will be there.

HGTV: Do they know who wins or are you keeping it a secret?

Christina: They know, they were there.

On Advice for Those Struggling With Co-Parenting

Christina: I've noticed some people can hold on to grudges and die like that. If you put things into perspective ... [these things] don't really matter. Everyone goes through trials, hard times, and it's really how you move forward.

Tarek: Yes, co-parenting adults need to accept responsibility. If someone isn't having a great time co-parenting, they need to make changes in order to make that co-parenting more productive and successful.

Christina: The ones that are affected are the children.

Heather: They're innocent in it. It's not their choice. They're the most important. You just have to be adults and put the hard times behind you and show up for the kids.

Tarek: Sometimes you just have to bite your tongue and deal with things you don't want to deal with, for the greater good of your children. I don't know how else to put it.

Christina: Yeah, communication is really important. We're in a group text. We try to stay organized, I have three kids in three different schools. They have two kids in two different schools, plus a two-year-old. It's a lot to manage and if you're not working together at it that could be difficult.

Heather: It's so much better when you're getting along. The takeaway is just get along. It's so nice to have a relationship with, you know, the ex-wife and me, the new wife. And I really praise [Christina] because being a mom and letting another woman come in and parent your kids, it's not easy and I feel like she's really let me come in and parent them.

Christina: I'd much rather have a stepmom who cares about my kids, who cares about everyone's well-being than someone who's selfish and who I don't like. I'd much prefer someone my kids love ... everyone should want to support each other — especially when it comes to kids.

On Co-Parenting Resources They Sought Out

Christina: I asked friends of mine whose parents went through divorces: 'Anything you didn't like?' They said, 'I didn't like when one parent — even if I knew that parent was wrong — talked about the other parent.' They didn't want to hear about it. And I took that to heart. And then [Tarek's] parents got divorced when he was 18 or 19, but they always made it about the kids. They do every holiday together. They go to dinner together. They go to sports games. Just yesterday, they were at a basketball game together.

On Co-Parenting Fails

Christina: [Laughing]

Tarek: [To Christina] Didn't you forget the kids at school a couple times?

Christina: Oh, shut up!

Heather: We have daily mom fails in general, but that's just life.

Christina: Our only one is probably public — the soccer field. [laughs]

Heather: The soccer field one, which was a little low time in our life.

Christina: And then Brayden ended up in the ER, and we all just forgave each other.

Heather: Yeah, that's actually very interesting that we went through that. It brought us all back together and reminded us what's important.

On the Next Generation of House Flippers

Tarek: Brayden's obsessed. He knows the business, he looks for deals. He's actually written an offer on a fixer-upper before, believe it or not. He loves it. Taylor used to love it a lot more, but now she's in a friend phase. But she'll be back. As an entrepreneur she just has it.

Christina: She has people skills.

HGTV: Does she like design or flipping better?

Christina: Design.

Heather: She had such a great eye.

Christina: But as she gets older, she might like flipping more. She's motivated, driven and she's been a part of it forever. So we'll see what happens.

HGTV: Heather, are you going to try and get Tristan involved in the business?

Heather: I think he'll naturally have an interest.

On Moving Forward Together

By the end of the day, Christina, Tarek and Heather have sat through seven hours of on-camera interviews. They toast with a bottle of champagne in their green room. We hear the pop! of the bottle opening from the hallway. They have a lot to celebrate: the end of a long and productive day, the premiere of The Flip Off, but most importantly, the happiness and health of their joint families.

It's Heather who subtly sums it all up during our interview:

HGTV: Do your families celebrate all holidays together?

Christina: We do a lot together.

Heather: I think we'll be doing more and more.