Pixabay A line of parked police cars
Christina Hall’s husband, Josh Hall, has given fans a rare look at his past in an Instagram post about his former career as a police officer. Though he now co-produces and appears in Christina’s HGTV shows, “Christina on the Coast” and “Christina in the Country,” Josh spent 16 years as an officer in Southern California before taking early retirement for medical reasons.
In honor of National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, he posted on January 9, 2023, about his experience and his gratitude for others who still put on a uniform each morning to serve their communities. Friends, fans, and former colleagues commented with praise and gratitude for his service — and a bit of ribbing over his throwback photo.
Josh Hall Thanks Law Enforcement, Says ‘All Officers Are Not Saints’
Josh, 40, posted a 2014 photo of himself, dressed in his uniform and standing in front of his squad car, from his days on the police force in Santa Monica, California. Writing that he doesn’t typically share much publicly about his past, the observance of National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day compelled him to remind people of the sacrifices law enforcement officers make.
“With today being #NationalLawEnforcementAppreciationDay, me spending 16+ years in that field before medically retiring, I felt the need to remind those who are unaware and want to show some appreciation for those still grinding away for our safety.”
The day was created by an organization called Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), which provides support for colleagues and families of police officers killed in the line of duty.
“I won’t use this opportunity to share a resume of my accomplishments as an officer or talk about any impactful moments in my career,” Josh wrote. “Instead, I would like anyone who sees this post to take a moment today and feel a sense of gratitude for those who are out there doing a thankless job 24/7/365.”
Josh continued, “Granted all officers are not saints, some will have made poor choices and maybe even some of them didn’t respond to your needs the way you wanted…but be reminded there are roughly 700K police officers in the U.S. and the majority will spend the greater part of their life facing fears and people the general public would run the other way from.”
He concluded, “These men and women don’t do it for publicity, fame or fortune…they do it because it’s a job that needs to be done and they want to do all they can to protect and serve their communities, going home to their families safely at the end of each shift. So today, I salute my forever brothers and sisters in blue, tan/green or whatever color uniform has a badge pinned to it.”
Christina commented on his post, “Love you” with a red heart emoji.
After his career as a police officer, Josh moved to Austin, Texas, in 2017 and became a real estate agent, according to his bio with The Foundry Group, a real estate brokerage in Texas. According to court records obtained by The Sun, he was married to a woman named Chelsea Baker in 2016 but filed for divorce in March 2021. He met and started dating Christina that same month, according to People, following her split from her second husband Ant Anstead in 2020; their divorce was finalized in June 2021. She was also married to fellow HGTV star Tarek El Moussa from 2009 to 2018.
In a season 4 episode of “Christina On The Coast,” which premiered on December 8, 2022, the Halls revealed that they had a secret courthouse wedding in early 2022. That March, Christina shared on Instagram that she and Josh had teamed up to launch their own TV production company, Unbroken Productions, and now have more creative control of her HGTV shows.
Josh will be seen in the first season of “Christina in the Country,” premiering on January 12, as they take on renovation projects near their Tennessee farm.
Friends Recall Josh Hall in Action as a Police Officer
Josh has occasionally alluded to his past as a police officer, including sharing a visit he and Christina made in August 2022 with former colleagues, tagging his post location as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Biscailuz Shooting Range. Christina shared her own post about the experience, during which they rode in a rescue helicopter.
She wrote, “So fun getting to spend some time with one of Josh’s best friends/former partner and his crew. What an experience seeing all that they do! This group of true badasses are the real deal. Forever grateful and appreciative for these kind of heroes.”
On his most recent post about National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, many fans left comments thanking him for his service, while friends and past colleagues shared recollections of seeing him in action.
A former colleague named Jacob Holloway wrote, “We’ll said Josh. I had a great time working with you. And people may not realize the great work you did. Especially saving the life of a woman who would not have survived a deadly assault. She thanks you this day.”
Josh replied, “Thanks ole buddy. Working alongside good guys like you made it worth it. Keep up the good work sir. Many people owe you thanks today.”
Josh also “liked” a comment from photographer Ed Burns, who captured the 2014 image he posted.
Burns wrote, “Miss having you around, my friend. You were an outstanding officer who knew how to do the job well without being uptight about it. I could always count on you for laughs, but also knew you’d be the first person to step up to help anyone in trouble. Hope all is well.”
Former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jon Moscot commented, “I remember when you pulled me over in the Whole Foods parking lot. Miss you big dog!”
There were also multiple comments ribbing Josh about his 2014 mustache. When a former associate wrote that she didn’t remember him having the mustache, Josh explained, “Ha! Every November, I tried to grow my little muzzy for #Movember. Guess we never had any meetings during that month. You missed out!”
“Movember” is an annual movement each November during which men grow mustaches to raise awareness and money for health issues including prostate and testicular cancers. But Josh’s participation might be done if his wife has any say in the matter.
James Schienle, who’s married to Christina’s best friend Cassie, wrote on the post, “Bring back that stache.” But Christina replied, “hard pass lol.”