“Renovation Aloha” stars sued by Hawaii AG for allegedly broadcasting human remains
“Renovation Aloha” stars sued by Hawaii AG for allegedly broadcasting human remains
Leigh BlickleyWed, April 22, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTC
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Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama on "The Jennifer Hudson Show"Credit: Chris Haston/GettyKey Points -
Renovation Aloha stars Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama are reportedly being sued by the State of Hawaii.
The couple and their production team allegedly aired images of ancient human remains unlawfully.
HGTV took action, but the State of Hawaii is reportedly moving forward after filing an order.
Renovation Aloha stars Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama are reportedly being sued by the State of Hawaii for allegedly showing Native Hawaiian remains in the show's content.
According to HawaiiNewsNow, the couple — as well as HGTV, its parent company Discovery Inc., and producer Nathan Fields — are facing a lawsuit after a preview for an episode from the current season of the popular home improvement series, titled "Bones on the Big Island," showed the discovery of apparent ancient human remains.
Known as iwi kupuna, these remains are sacred in Hawaii, and depicting them is a potential violation of state law.
In the preview clip, since deleted from social media, Renovation Aloha reportedly showed uncensored images of skeletal remains that were discovered at a Hilo property, per Hawaii’s Department of the Attorney General. The Kalamas, along with their production team, found the remains inside a lava cave beneath one of their properties.
Reportedly, the remains were left untouched, the land was not developed, and the property was later blessed by the Kalamas. Still, the state's AG got involved ahead of the episode's airing last week "to prevent the unlawful broadcast of images depicting ancient burial remains."
The AG obtained a temporary restraining order from a state judge to compel the removal of the content, according to Civil Beat, but the order did not keep HGTV from airing the episode on April 14.
“We are aware that the segment aired notwithstanding the court’s order, and we take this matter very seriously. The Department will pursue additional action as necessary," the attorney general said in a statement to EW.
Court documents obtained by HawaiiNewsNow state that the Kalamas and producers of the show are now being sued on four counts of iwi kupuna protection rules violations.
"The broadcast of footage depicting iwi kūpuna on national television causes profound and irreparable harm to the Native Hawaiian community, to the State’s interest in protecting its cultural resources, and to the dignity and sanctity of the ancestors whose remains were depicted,” Deputy Attorney General Miranda Steed wrote in a court complaint filed last week.
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In the full Renovation Aloha episode, filmed last December 2025, Kamohai discovers bones in the cave while investigating his newly purchased land, stating, “We just found what appears to be human remains. So, we are stopping everything and doing the only thing that I would know to do, which is call the police."
Authorities arrived and the crew investigated the remains, which were never shown on camera, while on-screen captions noted the significance of these findings in Hawaiian culture.
"In certain Native Hawaiian traditions, lava tubes were used in burial practices. These spaces were believed to help preserve the 'mana' or spirit, of the individual," one note read, with another stating, "This inadvertent discovery of human remains could not be shown on camera out of respect for the deceased, their descendants, and Hawai'i Administrative Rules (HAR) § 13-300-32(c)."
According to Hawaii’s Attorney General’s Office, the Kalamas did not get permission to shoot the footage prior to broadcast.
On Friday, Civil Beat reported HGTV issued an apology and said it would re-edit the episode for "all future network airings and platforms."
"We take the concerns raised by the Native Hawaiian community very seriously and are committed to ensuring our programming is respectful and appropriate," read the statement from Lynne Davis Adeyemi, vice president of communications for Warner Bros. Discovery. "We apologize to anyone who found any part of the episode offensive, as that was not HGTV’s intention."
Entertainment Weekly has reached out to HGTV for comment and further information. The Attorney General's office declined to comment further on pending litigation.
Leimana Abenes, who represents Kohala on the Hawaiʻi Island Burial Council, told Civil Beat the Kalamas were out of line.
"That’s just the way in our culture. We don’t take pictures and videos of our deceased loved ones," she said. "That’s the dignity, the Aloha and the respect and honor and loyalty to the person that passed away. We don’t do such things. That’s law and that’s cultural protocol."
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
