TLC
“My Big Fat Fabulous Life” star Whitney Way Thore has come across a “fantasy” home in Salem—after stunning her family by announcing her plans to move to Massachusetts in a bid to get out of the unhappy “rut” she’s found herself in while living in her hometown of Greensboro, NC.
Relocating to Salem would be a big change for the 41-year-old TLC star. She grew up in Greensboro, and both her personal and childhood homes have been prominently featured in the TLC show over the past decade.
But on Season 13 of the series, which premiered last month, Thore is seen seriously exploring the idea of settling down in a new neighborhood—if her plans for motherhood through artificial insemination fall through.
While Thore has not yet publicly confirmed a pregnancy or a move, the trailer for the show’s new season strongly alludes to a potential change of address. Whether it’s part time or permanent remains to be seen, however.
“I am in a rut here in Greensboro, and I’m not happy,” says Thore, before announcing to family and friends, “I signed a lease in Salem, and I’m moving.”
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The Witchy City has been on Thore’s radar ever since she became close with Salem-based podcast hosts Sabrina Deana-Roga and Corinne Vien, and took a girls’ trip with friends to visit them.
In an exclusive clip from the show’s Aug. 19 episode that was shared exclusively with Realtor.com®, Thore makes a return visit to Salem and offers a glimpse at what could be her new home when she takes a tour of a charming cottage she discovered online.
Deana-Roga and Vien are along for the exciting excursion, as is Thore’s friend and personal trainer, Jessica Powell, who traveled with her from North Carolina. As the group walks up to a corner property that is covered in white horizontal siding, three dormer windows peek out from a slate-colored roof and a short staircase leading to the front door greets them.
There is little to no landscaping in front of the house, but its clean, symmetrical exterior is deemed “cute” by several of Thore’s friends as she clarifies the layout—and her intentions of looking at the place at this point in time.
“It’s two units, but I only get one,” says Thore.
“When you’re on vacation, you drive by houses, you wonder what your life would be like,” she adds. “I think that that is just living in a fantasy world, but it’s also totally normal. Let my fantasies live!”
The unit’s front door leads to an open-concept kitchen and living room that is surrounded by cream walls and includes a recessed laundry unit. A circular-patterned piece of art hangs above a tan couch with light blue accent pillows, an egg-shaped coffee table, and a cognac-colored armchair.
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Light wood-colored floors continue from the seating area to a galley kitchen full of white cabinetry and white countertops with bold black veining. The black-and-white color palette is also applied to the suite of white appliances, black window, black cabinet hardware, and black plumbing fixtures.
Thore calls the interior “cute,” while her friends chime in about the “bright” space with “amazing” natural light and a killer view.
“I didn’t even look at anything else because the view,” says Vien.
Meanwhile, Powell points out another perk the place apparently offers.
“You said the furniture stays, right?” asks Powell, to which Thore confirms, “Yeah, it’s furnished.”
When another friend comments that the place reflects Thore’s personal style and taste, the reality star eagerly agrees.
“It really does,” she says.
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Two sliding-glass doors that overlook a body of water draw the group’s attention back to the view, and they gather between the drawn, floor-to-ceiling cream curtains to admire it and dream of seeing it in another season.
“Think about the snow, like, on the water edge in the winter,” encourages Deana-Roga.
Thore admits she’s stunned in the best possible way.
“I have never even thought about snow on the beach, and I’m deceased,” she says. “This apartment is gorgeous. The light and the locale of this place, the pictures did not even halfway do it justice.”
Already impressed by what she sees on the first floor, Thore leads the way past a dining table and up some stairs, where she turns the lights on in a bathroom and is completely pleased by what she uncovers.
The shower is lined on three sides by light blue tile with gold veining and has white honeycomb floor tiles and a sleek, half-glass door. The stall is large enough for all four women to fit inside at the same time, and the friends share a laugh as they line up together.
“Look at the tile, and it’s big enough for all of us ladies,” proposes Thore, before Deana-Roga declares, “We can have a shower party!”
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Before unveiling the rest of the bathroom, which is a blank canvas of white walls, white vanity, chrome light fixture, and large mirror, Thore reveals her love for all the bathroom details.
“And don’t talk to me about the bathroom,” she says in jest. “Don’t talk to me about the tile. It is the most gorgeous tile that I have ever seen, and I don’t know how I’m going to leave it.”
One friend then summarizes that “there’s not one thing that’s not good about this place,” and Thore couldn’t agree more.
“No, not yet,” she says, as she enters another room. “Oh, I believe this would be my bedroom.”
Inside what could be Thore’s future room, there’s a bed with light blue linens that faces a large window slider, white walls adorned with a colorful piece of art, and access to a wooden deck. It’s a feature Thore visualizes herself enjoying with her dog, Goosie.
“Imagine Goosie out here while I read a book, while I read an airport mystery novel,” she muses. “If I had to picture my New England cottage on the water, well, this would be it.”
Thore, Powell, Deana-Roga, and Vien head out to the backyard to sit on some Adirondack chairs, and while one friend suggests Thore would “need a fire pit,” it’s clear Thore has already warmed up to the prospect of making the property her own.
“My Big Fat Fabulous Life” airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on TLC.