‘Fixer Upper’ Star Joanna Gaines Shares Touching Tribute as Son Drake Graduates High School: ‘Melt My Heart’

Holy shiplap! Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines are proud parents as their eldest son, Drake Gaines, graduated high school.

“Melt. My. Heart,” the HGTV alum, 45, shared via Instagram on Saturday, May 27, alongside a photo of Drake in his cap and gown hugging younger brother Crew Gaines. 

Earlier that day, Jo shared a touching tribute to the recent grad with a video showing photos of the 18-year-old through the years. 

“It feels like just yesterday that we were cheering him on as he took his first steps,” the Magnolia Network owner wrote. “But last weekend, as he walked across the stage to receive his high school diploma (!!) we were cheering him on as he took his first steps into a world beyond what he’s known. We’re so proud of you, Drake.”

The mother of five – who also shares daughters Ella and Emmie Kay, as well as son Duke, with her longtime partner – previously opened up about their changing dynamic as their first born entered his last year of high school. 

“In the grand scheme of heartbreaking things, this one comes with a lot of gratitude and excitement,” she wrote in the Fall 2022 issue of Magnolia Journal. “But still, my first child is moving away, and our family dynamic will change because of it, and that can feel like a loss of its own.”

She continued, “I catch glimpses now of what life will look like and wonder if — or how many times — that might bring me to the floor.”

The Magnolia Table author later elaborated, telling People, “I think for us, it’s the realization that we’re this tight little family unit and we’re a bigger family. There’s seven of us, but knowing the second that one baby leaves, it changes that dynamic.”

“I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I remember him being a baby and then how did this happen?’” she told the outlet in August 2022. “So that’s where, for us, it’s like, how do you slow down time? Because we know time actually doesn’t slow down.”

For his part, the Capital Gaines author, 48, told the outlet, “I think like anything, we’ve done our job. And now with this little boy, man, whatever he is, it’s going to be exciting to see what he becomes and I think it’s healthy,” adding that his wife had been “an emotional wreck.”

“She sees Drake off to his first day of school, which in kindergarten, it makes sense that you get really emotional,” he added. “Your senior year, this is a celebratory moment.”