HGTV

Nicole Curtis is showing her face in public again after getting fired from HGTV for using the N-word ... and we've got the first look at her comeback.

Check out these photos of Nicole grabbing some Starbucks and ice cream with her son in SoCal ... it's the first time she's surfaced since footage leaked showing her using a racial slur during filming on her HGTV show, "Rehab Addict."

While she's back out and about, Nicole looks like she's trying to keep a low profile ... she's got her Detroit Yacht Club hat pulled down in some of these shots.

Some parents at a SoCal school where Nicole Curtis volunteers as a room parent to her son's class have serious concerns on the heels of her N-word controversy... and at least one has gone to leadership demanding answers, TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... the HGTV star has been in hot water since a 2022 video leaked of her using the N-word while filming her popular show, "Rehab Addicts." She's was fired -- and has issued an apology.

But TMZ has heard from multiple concerned parents at her kid's school ... who tell us they're super uncomfortable with her working in the classroom as a volunteer -- and they think the school should at the very least address the situation with parents.

HGTV star Nicole Curtis has one person coming to her defense after a video leaked of her using the N-word on her popular show "Rehab Addict" ... well, kinda.

Here's the deal ... the network shelved Nicole's show yesterday after the slur was made public ... and she later issued an apology, telling TMZ the use of that word does not represent who she is.

Ryan Sawtelle -- who worked on "Rehab Addict" and dated NC during the decade they knew each other -- told us he thinks Nicole's a bad person who treats others on the show like garbage ... so he's not surprised this video was leaked. He pointed to reports in the past of contractors suing her, claiming they weren't paid for their work.

However, he also added, “As much as I dislike her -- and it may be validating to see her get in trouble -- she is unequivocally not a racist. Nor has she ever said anything racially insensitive over the years we dated, and I have known her.”

Ryan -- who was actually holding the ladder in the 2022 episode clip when you hear Nicole blurt out the N-word -- told us she often used nonsensical words and gibberish to avoid cussing on the show … and calls it "unfortunate” she mistakenly blurted out the slur. RS points out ... “It was so unexpected, the crew laughed because we knew that isn’t her."

Nicole Curtis is addressing the controversy surrounding HGTV pulling her show "Rehab Addict" from its platforms following the release of leaked footage showing her using a racial slur during filming.

Curtis tells TMZ ... "I want to be clear: the word in question is wrong and not part of my vocabulary and never has been, and I apologize to everyone." She tells us she was unaware of HGTV's decision to pull the plug on her show on the same day it was set to return to air after a hiatus.

Despite the surprising split, she tells us, "I'm grateful for the 15-year journey we've shared. It's been a meaningful chapter, but my focus isn't on my career. My focus, at this moment is rightfully on my relationships, and my community -- the people who truly know my character and where my heart is."

HGTV star Leslie Davis blindsided fans when she dropped an engagement bombshell this week ... no one knew she'd been divorced for years ... and now she's giving a more detailed timeline.

Leslie announced Wednesday she was engaged to Don Reidy, leading to all sorts of question about her prior marriage to Jacob Davis.

In a blog post Friday, Leslie says she and Jacob split in 2022 and kept the divorce private to protect their family and make it easier to raise their three sons ... Kyler, Cash, and Cole.

Leslie says ... "Okay…Okay… I know what you are all saying… 'I didn't even know you were divorced?' Well, 1,000+ social media comments later, you all have a lot of questions."