Fans have gotten to know Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa's relationship thanks to shows such as "The Flipping El Moussas" and "Selling Sunset" — but not everything is as rosy as it might seem on screen.
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00:00Fans have gotten to know Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa's relationship thanks to shows
00:05such as The Flipping El Moussas and Selling Sunset, but not everything is as rosy as it
00:09might seem on screen.
00:12Nothing screams red flag like the way someone treated their ex, and this is certainly the
00:15case for Tarek El Moussa.
00:18Before The Flipping El Moussas, Tarek had starred on Flip or Flop with his then-wife
00:21Christina Hull.
00:22While Tarek and Christina liked to present themselves as a happily married couple on
00:26screen, things were reportedly much more horrifying behind the scenes.
00:30One source told InTouch Weekly that Tarek would regularly joke about sexually assaulting
00:34Christina while on set.
00:36Things got so bad that the crew made sure to keep the show's filming going smoothly
00:40so as not to give the former couple too much free time together.
00:43The insider added,
00:44"[Tarek found humor in insulting his wife and repeated verbal attacks.
00:48Some of his bad behavior was even caught on camera."
00:50Another source said that Tarek would berate Christina in front of the crew whenever she
00:55made a mistake that resulted in a scene needing to be re-shot.
00:58They said,
00:59"[Once on set, Tarek went up to her and squeezed her breasts.
01:02He grabbed her butt all the time.
01:03She either did nothing or said, get away from me."
01:06Tarek and Christina split up in 2016, finalizing their divorce two years later.
01:10But they continued to star on Flip or Flop together until 2022, until Christina finally
01:15had to call things off.
01:16"...I feel like it's not really fair to you or myself to continue house-flipping with
01:23you."
01:24Tarek's temper toward Christina has often made headlines over the years.
01:27One reported blow-up, for example, reportedly went down on the Flip or Flop set in 2021.
01:32A source told TMZ that Tarek lost it after Christina gestured to him that filming was
01:37about to begin and began screaming at her in front of the crew.
01:41Apparently, Tarek told Christina that his girlfriend at the time, Heather, was better
01:44than her, yelling,
01:45"'Look at me!
01:46Look at me!
01:47Look at me!'
01:48It's called winning."
01:49After the alleged meltdown was made public, Heather defended her then-boyfriend, telling
01:53Us Weekly,
01:54"'People have to remember they're co-workers and they are exes.
01:57There's going to be little frustrations here and there.'"
02:00Fans were quick to notice one particular red flag in Tarek's relationship with Heather
02:04Rae, namely, the fact that she looks eerily like Christina Hall.
02:09One fan even asked in an Instagram Q&A with Heather whether she's actively trying to look
02:14like her husband's ex, to which she responded,
02:16"'How would I be trying to look like someone?
02:18Last time I checked, I've looked like this my whole life.'"
02:20At least Heather seems to have a sense of humor about it.
02:23In one TikTok video, she poked fun at herself about being Christina's twin.
02:26"'Excuse me?'
02:29Although the three were clearly in on the joke and calling it out directly in the video,
02:35one fan replied,
02:36"'It's weird how much they look alike.'"
02:38After meeting in July 2019, Tarek and Heather Rae had felt no hesitation in jumping right
02:43into their relationship and spreading the news — to some people, anyway.
02:46In fact, Tarek had no qualms about introducing his new girlfriend to his family just a month
02:51later.
02:52As he told Entertainment Tonight,
02:53"'We're having a blast.
02:54I introduced her to my kids last night for the first time, my mom, my dad, my mom's husband,
02:59my sister, so we're doing it.'"
03:03It's probably worth pointing out that this was news to Christina at the time, as she
03:07had no idea that her husband was dating Heather — much less that he had introduced her to
03:11their kids.
03:12He said of Christina,
03:13"'I haven't talked to her about Heather yet, so that's probably a talk I should probably
03:17have pretty soon.'"
03:18As if that wasn't enough cause for concern, Tarek revealed in a January 2021 Instagram
03:22post just how fast he and Heather had moved ahead with their relationship.
03:26He wrote,
03:27"'Yesterday was our 18-month anniversary and I love this girl more and more by the day.
03:31I came home with Heather after four days of dating.
03:33She moved in and we never looked back.'"
03:36Fans of Selling Sunset became even more worried about Tarek's relationship with Heather in
03:402021, when she revealed some new ink on Instagram.
03:43The tattoo read,
03:44"'Yes sir, Mr. El Moussa.'"
03:45Sparking concern about a potential power imbalance in their marriage, the tattoo and its implications
03:50post caused such a stir, in fact, that Heather ended up deleting her post.
03:55She later explained to E! News that the phrase was nothing more than a term of endearment,
03:58adding,
03:59"'I will be Mrs. El Moussa, so this is my name.
04:02And it was a special thing that we do around the house.
04:04Daddy's the boss, I'm the queen of the house.
04:06We do it with the kids.'
04:07He says,
04:08"'Yes ma'am, Mrs. El Moussa.
04:09It's something cute we do around the house.'"
04:11Viewers of The Flipping El Moussas have also pointed to what they see as Tarek's domineering
04:16personality on the show.
04:17As one Redditor stated in a 2023 post,
04:20"'I think Tarek is a narcissistic, severe type.
04:22He is abusive and controlling.
04:24But I think Heather thrives on him having control as he also gives her the life she
04:28couldn't have without him.'"
04:29If you or anyone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic
04:33Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
04:37You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.