A Complete Timeline of Mina Starsiak Hawk and Costar Cory Miller’s ‘Good Bones’ Drama

July 2016

Good Bones began airing on HGTV, with Mina and her mom, Karen E. Laine, enlisting the help of their friends and family members throughout season 1. Cory was brought on as the show’s project manager.

“I like to tinker, and a lot of people don’t know that about me,” he told HGTV. “I do a lot of outdoor work in my yard. I like to work on my motorcycle, the boat and stuff around the house. I’m forever extending my backyard deck. I’ve got like three add-ons to it now.”

May 2023

On his Instagram account, Cory began sharing photos of his own projects and business ventures outside of the show. Fans began to wonder if he still worked for Mina, leading to a slew of curious comments.

“Nope! Haven’t for over 3 years lol,” he answered one comment, adding, “Everything is great! We still worked heavily on the show together even after we split. Season 8 is coming soon.”

August 2023

Seven years after starting her home improvement journey on HGTV, Mina announced that Good Bones was ending after season 8.

“It’s the end of an era,” the realtor said during an episode of her “Mina AF” podcast at the time. “I had to say goodbye to some people that I have spent my last, almost 10 years with.”

Later that month, Mina revealed she was “not on good terms” with her mom and brother Tad Starsiak. At the time, she did not mention where her relationship stood with Cory.

September 2023

Mina clapped back at fans who accused her of looking “cranky” on Good Bones. She explained that several of the show’s cast members, including Cory, Tad and Karen, did not wield the same responsibilities that she did.

“I have all the risk,” she told podcast listeners of having sole ownership of her Two Chicks and a Hammer renovation company. “So, mom, Austin [Aynes], Tad, Cory, MJ [Coyle], everyone else is there having fun and they’re getting paid to be there, just regular pay, to have fun. What I think a lot of people don’t think about, don’t understand or choose not to hear is I own the company.”

Mina took another direct shot at Cory and Karen later on in the podcast episode.

“What it all comes down to is it’s really easy for mom and Cory to be able to have a lot of fun and be really playful and feel light, because they get their paycheck, they show up, they have the fun, they do the things they’re good at and then I think they sleep pretty well at night not having to stress about what’s happening at the house if they’re not there,” the home renovation star said.

Mina, who shares kids Jack and Charlotte with husband Steve Hawk, also further explained that Tad, Cory and Austin were no longer her employees.

“Austin was the most recent employee, but Tad and Cory haven’t for a long time,” she said. “So, while I want to say ‘Do this, do this, do this, wear this, put this on, put your gloves back on, put your mask back on. What are you doing? Why are you wearing this? Why do you have a dangly earring at demo? That seems dangerous,’ they’re not my employees and they don’t listen to me.”

Despite no longer being employed under the Two Chicks and a Hammer company, the boys still appeared on Good Bones season 8. Karen, who stepped back from the business in 2019, was also still present for filming during the show’s final season.

“So, while mom hasn’t been an owner in the company for a while, Tad and Cory have not worked for me for quite some time, they’re still present and you guys see them and I get why that is very confusing,” Mina concluded.

November 2023

Mina brought MJ onto her podcast to discuss the real reason Good Bones ended. The designer explained that “everyone was miserable” on set and they weren’t “enjoying each other’s company.” Because of that, MJ did not keep in contact with most of his costars after filming, including Cory.

“I haven’t talked to Cory in a long time,” he said. “I haven’t talked to Tad. I’ve talked to your mom just like briefly when everything kind of ended, but no, I think everyone just kind of needs space, and a little bit of time, and healing.”

December 2023

After the series finale of Good Bones, Cory and Karen reunited for a special project. “Brought out of retirement to film,” the project manager captioned a photo in his Instagram Stories without revealing much else about the collaboration.

Just days after, Mina dropped a bombshell that she and Cory had a falling out, leading them to unfollow each other on Instagram.

“So, there’s been enough questions about Cory that I’m going to try to address this in a respectful way again, understanding that I have a platform that he maybe doesn’t have,” she said during a podcast episode. “Cory and I are not on speaking terms. I am positive that there are things he feels like I did to him, and I have known him since he was 11, and I’ve always had a soft spot for him.”

The HGTV star did not specifically share exactly what transpired between them but hinted there were “a couple things that happened toward the end.”

“It’s a super bummer because I have historically had a great relationship with Cory, and when things end particularly like they did, people’s colors just show a little more, which is a blessing because then I have a choice to make a different choice,” Mina continued.

Longtime Good Bones fans were devastated by the confession but were happy to see that the friendship between Cory and Karen is still going strong.

“[Cory] visited my little Wilmington house!” Karen shared with her Instagram followers while renovating her new house in Wilmington, North Carolina. “So much fun and nice to have an extra brain and good attitude for problem solving.”

January 2024

Mina and Cory still do not follow each other on Instagram; however, he follows Mina’s husband, Steve. Cory commented a flexed bicep emoji on one of Steve’s Instagram posts about accidentally forgetting to wear his wedding ring in public, leading many to wonder about the status of his friendship with Mina. Could a reconciliation be on the horizon?