Jen Hatmaker says her picture perfect life came crashing down in the middle of the night when she caught her husband whispering to another woman on the phone.
In her new memoir “Awake,” the HGTV star details the shocking moment she discovered her husband of 26 years, Brandon Hatmaker, was cheating. Jen says at 2:30 AM in July 2020, she was jolted awake by her husband whispering into the phone … “I just can’t quit you.” When he drifted off to sleep, reeking of booze.
Jen recalls spending the next four hours digging through Brandon’s computer, where she uncovered what she calls a “trail of betrayal” including a long running affair and lavish gifts that left the family in financial chaos. By morning, she kicked him out of their Texas home.
The “My Big Family Renovation” star says the affair was just the final blow in a marriage already in trouble. They hadn’t had sex for two years, and despite marriage counseling, Jen now realizes the red flags were everywhere.
Jen claims Brandon made no effort to reconcile and was engaged to another woman within a year. Meanwhile, Jen says she battled depression and anxiety, raising five kids alone during the pandemic.
Jen says she’s cut ties with the church they cofounded together, found love again with author Tyler Merritt, welcomed her first grandchild, and is determined never to “outsource” her life again.
“I’ll never let anyone else drive my story,” she says. “This is my life and I’m awake now.”
