Tarek El Moussa became a household name among HGTV fans thanks to his various shows. He recently opened up about a time when a boss tried to convince him to change his name. This led him to share what it was like fighting for self-respect.
Tarek El Moussa Became Known To Many For The HGTV Series, Flip Or Flop
El Moussa is a real estate investor and television personality who became known for co-hosting the HGTV series, Flip or Flop. He co-hosted the show from 2013 to 2022 with his then-wife, Christina Haack.
Following this, he hosted and starred in other shows. This included Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa and The Flipping El Moussas, alongside his spouse Heather Rae Young.
Recently, Tarek, who is of Lebanese descent from his father, made an emotional admission concerning his early career. In a recent Instagram video, he revealed that, at the start of his career, a boss told him to change his name.
El Moussa shared, “Seventeen years ago, my boss told me to change my name from Tarek to Derek to sound more professional. It was 2008; I just lost everything in the recession, and I needed a job. So I finally got a job at a commercial real estate company.”
Tarek Felt That He Wasn’t In An Easy Position To Leave, But Fighting For His Self-Respect Paid Off Within Five Years
In fact, Tarek revealed that this decision was soon made for him. As he explained, “The very first day, the office manager came up to me and actually said, ‘Hey Tarek, we’re going to call you Derek. It sounds more professional.”
Tarek knew that he wasn’t in much of a place to fight back, but still felt it was for the best to get out of this “toxic” environment, leaving the company. He shared, “I was broke. I had no plan, but I would never give up my self-respect. The entire situation taught me no matter how desperate you are, if your environment is slowing you down, you’ve got to change it.”
This move ultimately proved to be for the best. Within five years, El Moussa became a reality TV star for HGTV. As he shared in his Instagram caption, he has since “flipped over 1,000 homes” and “built multiple real estate businesses.” He also shared that he was working for NESTLA, “a system that gives homeowners smarter, more transparent ways to sell their homes, and keep more of their equity without overpaying fees.”
What is your reaction to Tarek El Moussa’s recent share? Have you been following this story? Are you keeping up with HGTV news? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest reality TV and celebrity news.
John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.