Getty HGTV's Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae El Moussa at the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Days after celebrating the news they’re expecting a baby, Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa are now commiserating over travel plans gone wrong. Claiming neither of them has experienced having a flight canceled before, the couple — who will host “The Flipping El Moussas” on HGTV in 2023 — chronicled their chaotic misadventures at New York’s JFK International Airport beginning July 18.
Attempting to fly home to Los Angeles after a weekend in the Hamptons celebrating entrepreneur David Steinberg’s birthday, Tarek began taking videos and posting them to his Instagram Stories from their plane’s first-class seats that afternoon.
“It’s like travel armageddon everybody,” he said in his first uploaded video of the day. “It’s awful. Security line was like two hours, now we’re sitting on the plane, there’s an engine problem. So there’s another two-hour delay.” In the background, wearing a black hoodie and pink face mask, Heather chimed in, “It’s awful.”
The delays and mishaps only got worse from there.
Couple’s ‘Travel Day From Hell’ Included Alarms, Fist Fight
Entertainment Tonight/YouTubeHeather Rae and Tarek El Moussa talked about their fertility journey on “Entertainment Tonight” in Jan. 2022.
Posting to their Instagram Stories late into the night, the El Moussas revealed that their first flight was canceled due to engine problems, and after boarding another plane, that flight was canceled because the pilot “timed out,” meaning that the pilot had reached his or her maximum number of hours on duty before a required rest.
Tarek frequently updated fans in his Stories, calling it a “travel day from hell.” At one point, viewers could hear high-pitched alarms going off as the couple walked through the crowded airport. “It’s mayhem here,” Tarek said to the camera through his face mask. “There’s alarms going off, there was a fist fight.”
After nine hours of delays and no more flights available, the couple checked into a New York hotel for the night and recorded one last Instagram Story while under the covers in bed. They revealed that despite their frequent travels, including a trip to Greece in June, neither had ever experienced having a flight canceled before.
“It’s been a long day,” Tarek began the video. “What can go wrong will go wrong!”
Heather then said, “Neither of us have ever had a canceled flight, so this is our first time ever dealing with something so horrific. The longest day ever.”
Heather Calls Husband a Hero, Says She Has a ‘Big Story’ To Tell
Before signing off for the night, Heather shared that drama ensued on one of their delayed flights, and called her husband a hero for stepping in.
“I have a big story to tell you guys tomorrow. My husband was a hero today,” she said. In the background, Tarek laughed and said, “Oh jeez, oh my god.”
“He was,” she insisted. “So I gotta tell you guys the story tomorrow; I’m too tired tonight.”
Over the video, Heather posted the following text: “I have a story for you. My husband did something very heroic when a man went crazy on our flight and verbally attacked & physically got in flight attendants pilots faces.”
Neither of the El Moussas have shared the full story, but in the early evening of July 19, both shared new updates to their Instagram stories as they attempted to get back home.
“Another travel day…let’s try this again,” Heather typed over a photo of a bottle of carrot juice. “Fueling up for the baby.”
“Alright guys, we’re back at it again,” Tarek started his video.
“Round Two,” Heather chimed in.
“Back in the security line,” Tarek continued. “Flight’s in two hours. We better make it this time, oh my god.”