You might know Jonathan Knight for his incredible job as an old house flipper in HGTV’s “Farmhouse Fixer”, or for being part of the legendary 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block (NKOTB). Whichever it is, there’s no doubt that Jon’s personality, hard-working attitude, and overall talent have stolen everyone’s hearts.
While his singing career ended decades ago, Jon’s passion for bringing new life to farmhouses in New England has put him back in the spotlight in the best way possible. Now with several seasons on the road and the increasing expectations of his audience to see more from him on TV, it’s fair to wonder what the next step is for Jon, the biggest difficulties he has found along the way in his show, and whether he’s planning on making music again.
So what’s happened to Jonathan Knight? Keep with us to learn about him!
What Happened To Him?
HGTV’s “Farmhouse Fixer” has given us great TV moments and the perfect share of excellent house flippings, enthralling designs and projects, and above everything else, a compelling and heartwarming cast. The show’s lead, Jonathan’s skillful attitude is only matched by his on-point decisions when recovering and renovating historically important houses in New England. There’s also Kristina Crestin, whose creativity and top design skills make every project a reality.
The rest of the cast is formed by Jon’s closest people, including his brother and fellow NKOTB member Jordan Knight, his mom and sister, and his husband and actor, Harley Rodriguez. Together, the family’s perfect team takes over every project and makes the best out of them.
It isn’t always a smooth path for Jon and the rest, though. As seen in the spin-off “Farmhouse Fixer: Camp Revamp”’s finale in August 2024, many fans were left hanging when Jon couldn’t finish all the old house projects he was working on at the time. These difficulties added a special flavor to the show, but also left fans wondering whether these renovations would ever be finished, especially considering that a new season wasn’t immediately announced in mid-2024.
So what does the future have in store for Jon and “Farmhouse Fixer”? Only time will tell, but the success that the show achieved says a lot about how interesting and compelling it is.
Why Is He Renovating Houses Now?
Those unfamiliar with Jon Knight’s career surely don’t know that the former boyband star has been in the house renovating business for longer than his show has been on air. It all started in 1996, soon after leaving NKOTB, when Jon began working as a real estate developer in Essex, Massachusetts.
As he told People in 2000, his job consisted of renovating the houses he bought and then selling them for a profit, known as flipping. His interest in architecture and house design came from his childhood, even if these dreams were left behind for some time as Jon and his brother Jordan pursued their pop star careers.
Though Jon spent several years away from stardom, so his return to the spotlight was a long time coming. A while before “Farmhouse Fixer” premiered in 2021, he had been in contact with the popular “Property Brothers” Jonathan and Drew Scott, who came up with the possibility of Jon and Jordan having a renovation show together. That wasn’t possible in the end, as Jordan wasn’t that much into the business back then, though he and the rest of the Knight family joined the “Farmhouse Fixer” cast to lend Jon a hand to make the old house magic happen.
His Beginnings
Jon Knight’s career started very early in his life. As one of the six children of an Episcopal priest, Jon and his younger brother Jordan went on to develop their singing skills as part of their father’s church choir. At 16 years of age, Jon and Jordan were recruited by music producer Maurice Starr to form New Kids on the Block, of which Donnie Wahlberg was already a member at the time.
https://www.facebook.com/nkotbfans/posts/pfbid021bsdmg3C4PbAf2uhdpcUfS4uWYTdTKaagnqembttVjKWmh1aUXnc2QNvvWTkUwUkl
A couple of member changes and a band name change were in order before they were signed to Columbia Records. After releasing a commercially unsuccessful album in 1986, the group finally gained the attraction of the mainstream two years later, by scoring their first Billboard hit with “Please Don’t Go Girl”. By the time the group released their fourth studio album “Face the Music” in 1993, they had already become one of the most popular teen pop acts in America.
However, the fame brought negative outcomes for the group. The first one to leave was Jon, whose constant panic attacks and being the subject of negative fan attention made it impossible for him to continue with the group. His exit was followed by the group’s dissolution in 1994. As Jon later told People in 2000, he didn’t miss his former stardom, and having a career in the real estate development field fulfilled his need for independence that he lacked during his pop star days.
Music Comeback & Farmhouse Projects
Despite maintaining a toned-down public life, Jon Knight was brought back from retirement in 2008 when NKOTB reunited. This comeback also marked the group’s return to the charts, several tours, and collaborations with acts such as Backstreet Boys, Nelly, and Boyz II Men.
Though the group has had on-and-off activity throughout the years, it has been consistent and didn’t interfere with each member’s personal career. In the case of Jon Knight, he split his time between NKOTB and his real estate development business.
Having dedicated almost three decades to it, Jon described farmhouse renovation as his ‘passion and obsession’, both for the historical value of these houses that he deems worth recovering and bringing back to life, and for the big effort which it takes to make his job possible, so the families who are going to live there can enjoy it for many more years.
It’s a challenging job for Jon, but it’s also a passion passed down to him by his family. As he once told People, his father Allan taught him about handyness from a very early age, by teaching them about carpentry and how to do jobs around the house. It’s a natural talent for the Knight siblings, as not only does Jordan get involved in the job, but their mother and sisters also contribute to it, making it a family business.
What Will Jon Do From Now On?
Being a pop star and recovering centuries-old farmhouses are jobs that not many people could do, yet Jon Knight manages both things quite well. Shortly before the release of “Farmhouse Fixer”’s spin-off “Camp Revamp” in mid-2024, NKOTB released its eighth album – “Still Kids” – and announced its first Las Vegas residency to begin in 2025.
Though seeing Jon being involved in so many music-related activities might cause worry about the future of his renovation TV show, the truth is that Jon has been managing both passions quite well since “Farmhouse Fixer”’s premiere in 2021. This and the success of the show make it unlikely for it to end any time soon, much to the joy of his fans.
