These days, however, you could say that Knight is just as famous for his role on HGTV.
While Jonathan wasn’t necessarily the breakout star of NKOTB, he didn’t mind not being centerstage.
It seemed more important to Knight to be able to work with his childhood buddies.
He recalled in a later interview withPeople, “Sometimes, back then, it got real scary.
Knight didn’t necessarily enjoy that level of fame in general.
“My life was so materialistic.
Other people handled everything for me,” he explained.
His life was hectic and crazy.”
He revealed to People, “I felt that we had done it long enough.
I was the first to jump ship.
The others were angry at first, but they understood.”
Knight later revealed on theFrosted Tips with Lance Basspodcast that leaving NKOTB just made sense at the time.
And it just kept going down and down," he said.
There were other reasons too, like him being tired of feeling forced to do things.
“It just felt like it was not going anywhere and I just wanted to be home.”
He told the Boston Globe (viaVH1), “It was just too hard.”
He explained toArchitectural Digest, “I was 25 years old and my career was over.
Stumped, I thought, How do I reinvent my life?”
“We ended up going from house to house, then doing subdivisions and condos.”
It was important for Knight to prove that he was more than a washed-up boy band singer.
At the time, he told People, “I can finally stand on my own two feet.”
They’ll ask for his autograph or posters."
Knight’s bandmate, Donny Wahlberg, revealed, “We’ve got some new material.
Knight did have some concerns about being a “New Kid” again though.
However, he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Knight continued to perform with NKOTB, even with his busy HGTV schedule.
The New Kids' career is over.'”
Yet Knight wasn’t upset because he insisted he was no longer hiding anything.
Besides having to hide his sexuality, he also struggled with a panic disorder.
He even admitted that it contributed to his decision to quit the group.
“I was like… ‘I don’t want to be around this situation anymore.
It’s causing me so much stress and so much anxiety,” he recalled.
Unsurprisingly, having to hide that he was gay while in NKOTB made Knight’s anxiety even worse.
Knight went on to spread awareness about panic disorders and even helped others who struggled with it too.
It was apparently Knight’s idea since he is a huge fan of the show.
It appears Knight’sNew Kids on the Block band membersweren’t expecting him to do that kind of show.
News, “They were shocked!
While Knight and Rodriguez became the third team to get eliminated, he doesn’t regret doing the show.
He and his husband Harley Rodriguez own their own historic home in his native Massachusetts.
Knight revealed to Architectural Digest how that came about.
He toldThe New York Times, “I was like, ‘I have to buy it’…
I didn’t want somebody moving across the street.”
Knight now not only has a barn that was built in the 1700s but a garden and greenhouse too.
He also has goats, ducks, horses, and chickens that he often posts about on Instagram.
So many ups and downs.”
Knight denied any wrongdoing, tellingBoston Magazine, “I just hope people see the ludicrousness of this.”
Knight’s now on a mission to double-check that old farmhouses don’t become abandoned or torn down.
“These are American treasures that should be saved,” he said.
He gushed toHeavy, “It’s been amazing…
I never thought it would even come on air.”
Yet Knight said that hosting “Farmhouse Fixer” and performing with NKOTB do share similarities.
That’s when he confirmed that he’d married his longtime love, Harley Rodriguez.
The two had been together since 2008 after meeting when Knight reunited with New Kids on the Block.
It was just absolutely beautiful."
They planned to wed on their farm in 2021, yet changed their plans because of the pandemic.
“We had everything lined up: the caterers, the entertainment.
We were going to get married under candlelight.
And then that all just stopped,” Knight toldPeople.
Knight later toldETthat he and Rodriguez went on to elope in secret.
That, however, didn’t stop Knight from participating as a competitor on “Rock the Block.”
He continued, “They were saying, ‘Run, don’t do it.'”
Knight apparently learned why they felt that way.
It seems that through it all, Knight has remained grateful for where his career has taken him.
