Ex-HGTV Star Nicole Curtis Surfaces for First Time Since N-Word Controversy

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.

We broke the story ... Nicole apologized earlier this month after a video surfaced showing her saying "fart n*****" on her show. She was fired after 15 years with HGTV, and now parents at her kid's school are uncomfortable with her continuing as a classroom volunteer.

Nicole says the use of the racial slur does not represent who she is ... and it looks like she's trying to move past the controversy.