Heavy/HGTV Karen E. Laine of HGTV's "Good Bones"
Longtime HGTV personality Karen E. Laine is in the process of divorcing her fourth husband, according to court documents reviewed by Heavy. After nearly a year of legal separation, Roger Rominger filed court papers in January 2023 to end their marriage but it was never finalized.
The divorce case was reopened on October 12 amid a flurry of headlines about a rift between Laine and her daughter, Mina Starsiak Hawk, who co-starred with her on “Good Bones” for eight seasons. Before the final episode aired on October 17, Starsiak Hawk revealed on her podcast that she was “not on good terms” with her mom, as well as a couple of her siblings who appeared on the show.
Here’s what you need to know:
Karen E. Laine Had Been With Her Fourth Husband for 8 Years
Rominger first appeared on Laine’s Instagram feed in 2015. The couple lived in Indianapolis, where “Good Bones” was filmed and her children live with their families.
On September 20, 2020, Rominger celebrated five years of marriage with a photo of he and Laine in a Facebook post.
“It’s hard to believe that we have only been married for 5 years.” he wrote. “It seems like we have been a part of each other forever! I couldn’t be happier!!! 
“
During the good times, Rominger made brief appearances on “Good Bones” and was occasionally seen on Laine’s Instagram account. But by early 2022, the relationship had taken a nosedive.
According to court documents, Laine and Rominger filed a joint petition for legal separation on April 26 of that year. A judge approved the separation on April 29.
In the state of Indiana, according to DivorceNet, both parties in a petition for separation must demonstrate that there are circumstances that “make it currently intolerable to live with your spouse” but also confirm that neither person has taken the step to fully dissolve the marriage. Legal separations can last for up to one year in the state, at which point a couple must decide if they want to divorce or not.
On January 13, 2023, Rominger went back to court to file for “dissolution” of the marriage, which is the term used for divorce in Indiana. There were multiple video hearings held during the spring and summer, though confidential details were hidden from the record at the couple’s request. On October 12, the case was reopened and a new hearing has been scheduled for November 27.
Rominger is Laine’s fourth husband. The family tree behind the cast of “Good Bones” is so complicated that Starsiak Hawk and Laine tried to explain in it in a video for HGTV in 2017.
Laine first married Casey Starsiak, and they had three kids — William, C.R. and Mina. After Laine and Starsiak divorced, she married a man named Randy and they had a daughter named Kelsy, according to Yahoo. When that marriage ended in divorce, Laine wed another man named Mick, but it’s unclear when they split.
Karen E. Laine Claims She & Her Husband Couldn’t Agree on Where to Retire
In 2019, Laine decided to retire from the renovation business she co-owned with Starsiak, called Two Chicks and a Hammer. An Instagram post from the company said that Laine was “excited to spend her time doing all the things she loves like spending more time with Roger, sailing, hanging with her chickens, and working on DIY’s for Good Bones!”
But on a new episode of the “What’s Up Wilmington” podcast, posted on October 31, Laine said that she and Rominger had different hopes for retirement. Rominger wanted to retire on a sailboat despite her propensity for seasickness, she said, while she had dreams of renovating another fixer upper.
“I’ve annoyed every single one of my husbands — I’ve had too many — because I don’t sit down,” she said.
Realizing their goals weren’t aligned, Laine said she “got rid of the last husband” and then thought, “‘Now I can retire anywhere I want. Where do I want to retire? I think Wilmington.'”
Years ago, after visiting Wilmington, North Carolina, Laine fell in love with the town, she said on the podcast. In fact, she loved it so much she’s purchased a fixer-upper home there in January, she said, and has begun sharing her renovations on social media.
She said she plans to travel frequently back to Indianapolis to see her kids and grandkids, though she did not mention Starsiak Hawk, who has repeatedly said on her own podcast that she is not on speaking terms with her mom.
And while Starsiak Hawk already has a new spinoff in the works with HGTV, Laine said she wishes she did.
“I would love to keep making TV with HGTV, but that’s not up to me,” she said. “Nobody’s interested in boomers. I’m not a hot ticket. It makes it harder for me to find my next ride in TV.”
The one show she said she might have to look into, she said, is “The Golden Bachelor,” ABC’s version of “The Bachelor” featuring older singles.