Speculation went wild afterward. HGTV star Christina Haack shared a photo of herself over the weekend with her “great friend” Jared Merrell, leading many fans to wonder if the couple was dating.

Now, a source has said Us weekly that Haack and Merrell are not dating and insists that they are just friends, nothing more. Plus, he’s happily married to someone else!

“Christina has been good friends with Jared and his wife for over 20 years,” the source told the outlet.

The source also noted that Haack “had a great time celebrating (Merrell’s) birthday with them and their friends in Mexico this weekend.”

“Happy birthday to my brother from another mother @jaredjstar25”, Cristina published on her Instagram on Saturday, November 2, along with a photo of the couple hugging. “Thank you for ALWAYS being a great friend. I love you and your family very much. I’m so happy to celebrate you all weekend!

Christina Haack Instagram

“Thank you, I love you,” Merrell responded in the responses.

Fans jumped into the comments to speculate whether Haack was gently launching a new relationship just three months after splitting from her third husband. jose hallwith whom she is currently involved in a complicated divorce.

“At first I thought she was introducing us to a new boyfriend. I thought, damn girl, slow down!!” one commenter wrote, while another added: “OMG! Not another husband.”

Haack shared other photos from birthday celebrations in Punta Mita, Mexico, including group photos with other men and women. In one post, he thanked the “host with the most” and called it the “best weekend.”

Christina Haack Instagram

In July, Haack and Hall filed for divorce after almost three years of marriage. Since then, the former partners have been embroiled in a tense legal battle about spousal support and other financial matters.

Haack is ready to return to television this month for the second season of his HGTV docuseries Cristina in the fieldwhich premieres Tuesday, November 12 at 9/8c. It marks her first project since her split from Hall.

According to the official description, season 2 “will continue to expand (Haack’s) design business in the South, creating custom dream homes for Nashville-area clients and navigating the hot market with his next rental property” to over six hours long. episodes.

He will also star in the upcoming HGTV series. The pull with her ex-husband, Tarek El Moussaand his current wife, Heather El Moussa.