Renovation Aloha Stars Sued for Showing Native Hawaiian Remains on TV

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Kamohai Kalama and Tristyn Kalama are facing legal trouble.

The stars of HGTV’s Renovation Aloha, along with HGTV and its parent company Discovery Inc., and producer Nathan Fields, are being sued. The lawsuit stems from a preview of the show’s third episode, which featured the discovery of Native Hawaiian remains—known as iwi kupuna. This discovery may violate Hawaiian state law.

According to Hawaii News Now, the episode was filmed in December. In an Instagram video posted on April 17th, Kamohai and Tristyn explained that they immediately contacted the authorities and their kupuna – Hawaiian elders and ancestors – after finding remains at their construction site. They wanted guidance on how to respectfully handle the situation.

Hawaii’s Attorney General tried to block the TV show “Beyond the Headlines” from showing images of human remains, filing a legal request just before the episode aired on April 14th. However, a preview of the episode posted on the show’s creators’ social media already included those images, and the footage ultimately made it into the broadcast version. The social media posts and the episode have since been altered or removed.

Hawaii’s Attorney General filed a lawsuit on April 14th, according to a copy obtained by People magazine, emphasizing that ancestral remains (iwi kupuna) receive the strongest legal protections in the state. Hawaiian law specifically forbids disturbing, taking, or altering burial sites, and taking photos of remains is prohibited without written permission.

Honestly, seeing those images of our kupuna—our revered ancestors—broadcast on national TV just broke my heart. It wasn’t just upsetting, it felt like a deep violation. It’s more than just disrespecting the past; it’s hurting our entire community right now, damaging something sacred, and just…wrong. It feels like they completely disregarded the importance of protecting our culture and the dignity of those who came before us. It’s not something you can just fix with an apology; the harm is real and lasting.

After the episode aired, HGTV apologized and announced they would be releasing a revised version.

Warner Bros. Discovery takes the concerns of the Native Hawaiian community to heart and is dedicated to creating respectful and suitable content,” said Lynne Davis Adeyemi, Vice President of Communications, in a statement to Honolulu Civil Beat. “HGTV sincerely apologizes if anything in the episode caused offense, as that was not our goal.”

Tristyn and Kamohai explained what happened from their perspective, saying they were sorry the video was released and that they did everything they could after discovering the remains.

During an Instagram Live session, Tristyn explained that they chose not to build on the land. They had been advised by elders and cultural experts to leave the area undisturbed, and they followed that guidance.

Kamohai explained that the property is now secured with a large fence, as mentioned in the episode. This fence will remain in place permanently, preventing any future construction on the land.

He also emphasized the responsibility he feels to respect the state’s culture and history.

He said he could tell everyone understood the emotions and meaning conveyed on TV. He felt no need to explain how deeply important family, culture, history, and the land are to them as people, as locals, and as Hawaiians, becoming visibly emotional as he spoke.

TopMob News has contacted representatives for both the Kalamas and Fields Entertainment, but they haven’t received a response yet.

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2026-04-21 23:53