Heather Rae and Tarek El Moussa Clap Back at Criticism Over Playful Marriage Video

Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae El Moussa aren't afraid to flip back at haters.

In fact, the couple had no problem clapping back at criticism over a video about their new HGTV series The Flip Off, which also costars Tarek's ex Christina Hall and her husband Josh Hall. In a June 5 Instagram post, Heather jokingly placed a garbage bag over Tarek before taking out the trash, writing in the caption, "When your husband tells you we're filming a show with his ex wife."

Heather added, "Stepping into drama, while taking out the trash."

However, their playful banter seemed to have went over a few people's heads. "This is so no respectful towards your husband," one Instagram user told Heather, who shares 15-month-old son Tristan with Tarek. "Don forget the show was originally his not yours. He is building you up and you reply with this joke? Not funny."

Her response? "Take a break. Calm yourself. My husband is in on the joke," the Selling Sunset star wrote. "And don't forget I came from a world famous show myself on a network called Netflix and my husband and I are creating our new shows together."

Tarek also came to Heather's defense, hitting back at another user who commented that his wife is "not as famous anymore."

"Not as famous? Multiple global shows? Her own shows?" he replied. "Google delusional."

Elsewhere in the comments section, the Flip or Flop alum clarified that he was in on the joke. After a user expressed concerns that the skit was "very violent," he wrote back, "In this case it's a husband and a wife playing."

 

This was not the first time Tarek, 42, quipped about his respective relationships with Heather, 36, and ex Christina, 40. In May, the Flipping 101 host starred in spoof video that poked fun at the similarities Heather and Christina's appearances.

"Hi, I'm Christina," Heather joked in the clip, prompting the Christina on the Coast star—who shares daughter Taylor, 13, and son Brayden, 8, with Tarek—to introduce herself as Heather. "Wait, that's not right."

After a beat, Tarek popped into frame, joking, "Well, I guess it is confusing."

Still a little mixed up on the El Moussas' dynamics? Keep reading for a complete breakdown of their family tree.

Christina and Tarek welcome their first child together on Sept. 22, 2010.

Following their divorce, the pair have continued to co-parent their daughter, who Christina has described as an "old soul who one minute can talk super deep about life and then quickly go back to being a kid."

"Her greatest ability is being able to start a conversation with anyone, anywhere," she said of Taylor. "Fun, smart, athletic, HAPPY, and always keeping us on our toes."

Christina and Tarek welcomed their second child together on Aug. 20, 2015.

In addition to their oldest child Taylor, the two have continued to co-parent Brayden after their divorce. In the past, Tarek has described their son as "a ball of energy" and the "sweetest boy with the biggest heart."

"No words can describe how much brighter this boy makes my day," Tarek shared. "I feel blessed every single day to be his and Tay's dad and raising him and seeing him grow up makes me the happiest dad alive."

Almost a year after announcing her split from Tarek, Christina started dating Ant, a TV presenter from England, in October 2017. The two went public with their relationship in January 2018—the same month Christina's divorce from Tarek was finalized—and tied the knot in a winter-themed wedding at their home in Newport Beach, Calif., on Dec. 22, 2018.

Christina and Ant—who is dad to daughter Amelie and son Archie with his first wife Louise Storey—welcomed their first child together, son Hudson, in 2019.

The couple were married for less than two years before announcing their separation in September 2020. Their divorce was finalized nine months later.

Since the split, Ant has moved on with actress Renée Zellweger.

Christina and Ant welcomed their son on Sept. 6, 2019. At the time, the baby boy arrived weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces and measured at 19.5 inches long.

Though they agreed on shared legal and physical custody of Hudson when their divorce was finalized in June 2021, Ant filed for full custody in April 2022, claiming in court documents that his ex spends roughly "9 full days" with their child each month.

In response to the filing, Christina told E! News, "What Ant is doing deeply saddens me. If this was really about Hudson, as he says, this should have been handled privately with a private judge or mediation, as myself and my attorney have suggested. I have had my share of ups and downs but I am a good mom and I love my children with all my heart and I will always protect them."  

Tarek met the Selling Sunset star on the Fourth of July in 2019, when they were partying on boats that had docked next to each other at a marina in Newport Beach, Calif. Later that month, the pair were spotted kissing on a yacht and Tarek confirmed to E! News they were dating that August, saying, "I never thought I'd say this word again, but this beautiful young lady, Heather Rae, is my girlfriend, officially."

The couple got engaged in July 2020 and became husband and wife on Oct. 23, 2021, exchanging vows during a romantic outdoor ceremony near Santa Barbara, Calif.

Heather has often referred to herself as the "bonus mom" of Tarek's two older children, Taylor and Brayden. "I already feel like I have two kids," she previously explained to E! News. "I'm raising Tarek's babies, and we have them 50 percent of the time. I am such a good bonus mommy. I adore those kids. I raise them like they're mine."

After calling it quits with her second husband Ant, Christina began dating Josh in 2021. The pair went public with their relationship that July, with Christina revealing that they had been together for "a few solid months."

According to the Flip or Flop star, she met Josh, a licensed realtor, that spring at a time in her life when she "wasn't in a state of fear or fight-or-flight" and had "taken time off social, hired a spiritual coach and smoked a Bufo toad" to "reset" her brain. 

 

Christina and Josh got engaged that September and by April 2022, a source confirmed to E! News that the duo married in a private ceremony.

Tarek and Heather welcomed their son on Jan. 31, 2023. At the time, the baby boy arrived weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces.

He was named Tristan because "Tarek was supposed to be named Tristan," according to Heather, "and his parents ended up naming him Tarek."

His middle name is a nod to Heather's dad.

Though Josh's relationship with Christina pushed him into the spotlight, his sisters found fame way back in the aughts.

Stacie—or "Stacie the Bartender" as some fans remember her—was famously the target of Spencer Pratt's flirtations on The Hills. She has also appeared on Vanderpump Rules, most notably on season three as one of the bridesmaids in Scheana Shay's bridesmaids.

As for Jessica, the former Playboy model also made appearances on The Hills, as well as The Girls Next Door, Kendra, Kendra on Top and Kendra Sells Hollywood in support her best friend Kendra Wilkinson.

 

The older sister of Tarek, Angelique is the owner of Latitude 33 Hair Artistry in Anaheim, Calif. She purchased one of Tarek and Christina's flipped homes on an episode of Flip or Flop in 2014 and later filmed a digital series with her HGTV host bro in 2019.

Tarek's mother Dominique is no longer with the Flipping 101 star's father, whose name he has never publicly shared. She is currently married to Robert, who describes the El Moussa matriarch as "the love of my life" on Instagram.

Tarek has never shared his father's name, though in a November 2017 Facebook post he announced that his "old man" had turned 70 years old.

"The relationship between a father and his children is so important. I was lucky enough to have a supportive and motivating father that made me believe I could accomplish anything in the world," he captioned a picture of the family's birthday celebrations for the patriarch. "I can say that I wouldn't be where I am today without the support of my dad. I will take all the lessons I've learned from him and pass it on to my children."

In an interview with Country Living, Tarek said his father was "raised Catholic in the Middle East in Lebanon and then Egypt" and met his mother, who is from Belgium, in Europe as a teen.

While Christina has not publicly revealed her parents' identities, she has given glimpses into how her children interact with their grandparents. In 2019, she shared in an Instagram post that "we all sit together—my family and Tarek's family" when they watch Taylor perform at her school's annual Christmas concert.

"A couple people acknowledged how nice this is- I know there are a lot of divorced couples (including Tarek's mom and dad) who do this too and it's honestly easier for everyone," she wrote at the time. "Plus Taylor's face lights up when she sees us all in the same row supporting her."

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