Long-standing HGTV personality Karen E. Laine is currently undergoing a divorce from her fourth spouse, as per legal documents scrutinized by Heavy. Following over a year of being legally separated, Roger Rominger submitted divorce papers on October 12, 2023, to formally dissolve their marriage.
This filing has come amidst a flurry of media coverage regarding a strained relationship between Laine and her daughter, Mina Starsiak Hawk, who co-starred alongside her on “Good Bones” for a span of eight seasons. In the lead-up to the final episode, which aired on October 17, Starsiak Hawk disclosed on her podcast that she was experiencing discord with her mother, as well as some of her siblings who had made appearances on the show.
Here is the pertinent information you should be aware of:
Karen E. Laine Had Been With Her Fourth Husband for 8 Years
Rominger initially made his debut on Laine’s Instagram feed in 2015. The couple resided in Indianapolis, the backdrop for the filming of “Good Bones” and the residence of Laine’s family.
On September 20, 2020, Rominger marked their fifth wedding anniversary with a photo of himself and Laine in a Facebook post. In the post, he remarked, “It’s hard to believe that we have only been married for 5 years. It seems like we have been a part of each other forever! I couldn’t be happier!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”
During the harmonious phases of their relationship, Rominger made occasional appearances on “Good Bones” and was featured on Laine’s Instagram account. However, by early 2022, their relationship had taken a downturn.
According to legal records, they jointly filed for legal separation on April 26 of that year, which was granted by a judge on April 29. In the state of Indiana, as per DivorceNet, both parties in a legal separation petition must convince the judge that circumstances exist that render cohabitation intolerable, without proceeding to a complete dissolution of the marriage. Legal separations in the state can last up to one year, at which point the couple must decide whether to proceed with a divorce or not.
On January 13, 2023, Rominger returned to court to file for the “dissolution” of the marriage, or a divorce. Several video hearings occurred during the spring and summer, with confidential details concealed from the record at the couple’s request. On October 12, the case was reopened, and a new hearing is scheduled for November 27.
Notably, Rominger is Laine’s fourth husband. The family dynamics behind the cast of “Good Bones” are so intricate that Starsiak Hawk and Laine attempted to elucidate them in a video for HGTV in 2017.
Laine’s initial marriage was to Casey Starsiak, and they had three children – William, C.R., and Mina. Following her divorce from Starsiak, she wed a man named Randy, with whom she had a daughter named Kelsy, according to Yahoo. When that marriage ended in divorce, Laine subsequently married another man named Mick, although the timeline of their separation remains unclear.
Karen E. Laine Claims She & Her Husband Couldn’t Agree on Where to Retire
In 2019, Karen E. Laine made the significant decision to step away from the renovation business she co-owned with her daughter, Mina Starsiak, known as “Two Chicks and a Hammer.” An announcement on the company’s Instagram account conveyed Laine’s excitement about this transition, stating that she was looking forward to dedicating her time to pursuits she cherished. These included spending more quality moments with her husband, Roger Rominger, indulging in her passion for sailing, tending to her flock of chickens, and engaging in DIY projects for their show, “Good Bones.”
However, a fresh perspective on this transition emerged during a recent episode of the “What’s Up Wilmington” podcast, published on October 31. During the podcast, Laine revealed that she and Rominger held divergent aspirations for their retirement years. While Rominger harbored a desire to retire on a sailboat, despite Laine’s well-known susceptibility to seasickness, she, on the other hand, held dreams of taking on yet another fixer-upper renovation project.
Laine playfully remarked on her active nature, acknowledging that her relentless drive and reluctance to sit idle had occasionally vexed each of her husbands throughout her life, given that she had been married multiple times. Her enduring zest for action and her love for the world of home renovation made it clear that retirement wouldn’t slow down her penchant for transforming houses into homes.
Upon realizing their divergent life aspirations, Laine candidly recounted her decision to part ways with her most recent husband. She found herself pondering, “Now that I can retire anywhere I want, where do I want to retire?” The answer to that question led her to consider Wilmington as her ideal retirement destination.
Several years ago, during a visit to Wilmington, North Carolina, Laine fell head over heels for the town. This affection was so profound that she purchased a fixer-upper home there in January. She’s enthusiastically chronicled her renovation projects in Wilmington on her social media platforms.
Despite her move, Laine emphasized her intention to frequently return to Indianapolis to spend time with her children and grandchildren, though she didn’t mention her daughter, Mina Starsiak Hawk, who had previously conveyed on her own podcast that she was not in communication with her mother. Meanwhile, Starsiak Hawk was already in the midst of developing a new HGTV spinoff, while Laine expressed her desire to have a similar opportunity.
She remarked, “I would love to continue creating television content with HGTV, but that’s not within my control. Unfortunately, there’s limited interest in programming centered around baby boomers, and I’m not currently a sought-after commodity. This makes it more challenging for me to secure my next television venture.” Laine noted that the one show she might explore is “The Golden Bachelor,” which is ABC’s rendition of “The Bachelor” tailored for older singles.
