Scandals That Have Soured Erin And Ben Napier's Reputations

Erin and Ben Napier have become one of HGTV's top power couples since the 2016 premiere of "Home Town." Indeed, fans of the show regularly praise them for being sweet and genuine and for doing their part to keep small-town America thriving. As of April 2025, their series was still going strong, and its spinoff, "Home Town Takeover," was HGTV's most popular show, securing over 800,000 viewers per episode, according to the U.S. Television Database. 

However, for all of the positives people point out about the duo, it's hard to ignore some of the shadiest details to come out about Ben and Erin Napier through the years. As it turns out, the married parents of two (who met in junior college and have been inseparable ever since) aren't as universally loved as they were when they first hit the airwaves. While some HGTV fans don't like "Home Town" simply because they're not fans of the couple's aesthetic, others have taken issue with the Napiers themselves, as they've repeatedly clapped back at fans, shared controversial political stances, and more. Here are the scandals that have soured Erin and Ben Napier's reputations since their TV debut.

George Floyd's murder in May 2020 sparked massive support for the Black Lives Matter movement across the country. However, not everyone got it right, and soon, celebs were getting slammed on social media during the protests. Among them was Erin Napier who, in June of that year, took to Instagram to share a screenshot from "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" of Mr. Rogers soaking his feet in a kiddie pool alongside Officer Clemmons. She kept her caption brief, simply writing "Be the light, find the helpers," and many thought it fell flat. Indeed, one fan named Danielle Smalley took the time to personally reach out to Napier and note, "I was hoping you would take a bigger stand."

A lengthy exchange followed, which Erin decided to share on Instagram, seemingly to explain why she had kept away from publicly supporting BLM. "I believe social media posting under duress from the world is not the answer," she told Smalley. "It is artificial, it will not heal what's wrong." Saying that she prefers to enact change through small actions in her community, she underscored the fact that "I live in a 60% African-American city." Interestingly, that in itself had people wondering why she wasn't more outspoken. As one Redditor critiqued in 2020, "Anybody watching the show could be forgiven for thinking Laurel, MS is 90% or 95% white." They went on to add that African Americans are only on the show occasionally, and always as clients. "Are there no black artisans, furniture store owners, antique dealers?" they mused.

In early 2020, Erin and Ben Napier's home state of Mississippi was rocked by a major government scandal. It all started that February when six people, including the former director of Mississippi's welfare agency, were charged with embezzling $77 million between 2016 and 2019, money which was meant to help the poorest members of the community. That May, the story made headlines again when it was revealed that NFL legend Brett Favre was allegedly involved in the scam. The former Green Bay Packers quarterback was accused of working with state officials to misappropriate $5 million in welfare funds, so he could use them to construct a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi.

In a surprise turn of events, the scandal rocked Ben Napier's reputation when, in September 2022, Mississippi Today reported on newly released text messages between Favre and former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant. According to court documents, Bryant promoted the Season 3 premiere of "Home Town" on X (then Twitter) in January 2019, then sent a link to Favre, writing, "Please retweet. Ben helped us with the lockers for the Volleyball Complex." That statement was interpreted as meaning that Ben Napier may have played a role in the scandal, but Erin Napier was quick to clarify the situation. "Ben didn't build lockers for anyone," she wrote in a since-deleted tweet. The only exchange that took place, according to Erin, was when "the governor texted asking him if he could recommend someone to build wooden lockers," which he did.

Interior design is certainly subjective, and it should come as no surprise that not everyone will love every single renovation Erin and Ben Napier undertake. In 2024, for example, the duo divided viewers after Erin was given the choice between building a custom entryway and installing a striped awning above a home's front door, and she chose the latter. After seeing the design, one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Cute home but bummed that the choice was to change the drawing from the arch at the front entry to the awning." Erin eventually took to Instagram to explain the decision, writing, " ... You didn't hear the part where we learned the cost to do that (about $3500) would have made it too expensive to have any woodwork and larger trim inside."

Erin also chose to clap back directly at some haters. When one viewer wrote, per Country Living, "The awning looks cheap and it would look better if it was just left off," Erin snapped, "You can do it however you wish on your show, which is better in every way I bet." She and Ben then took it another step further by filming an Instagram PSA, which she captioned, "As my mama would say, y'all act like you've got some raising." In the video, she called public criticism of their work "rude" and chided, "You are being really ugly to the people who are living in these houses."

As fans of "Home Town" will know, there are numerous strange things about Ben and Erin Napier's marriage, including the fact that they decided to get married after just six days of dating. That was back in 2008 and, despite Erin accidentally making Ben divorce rumors blow up, the couple is adamant they're as in love as ever. While speaking with Us Weekly in 2025, they explained that being together nearly 24/7 has actually made them stronger and revealed that their secret to romantic success is a simple one. As Ben explained, "Erin and I always say communication is a key element in a happy marriage." And yet, their union may not be as picture-perfect as they portray it to be.

Indeed, Erin made a surprising confession in that same interview, which practically contradicted everything else they claimed. Saying that she doesn't like "[someone] who looks too much like a supermodel to be messaging Ben," Erin admitted to dealing with jealousy and possibly revealed she accesses his private DMs, which is the opposite of the healthy conversation and trust they expounded on in the rest of the piece. What's more, Erin even recalled one instance in which she asked Ben if he'd taken a shower in the afternoon because he'd been unfaithful. Trying to justify the peculiar behavior, she assured she "was not accusatory — I just wanted to let [him] know how creative my mind is."

In July 2025, Erin and Ben Napier enjoyed a family getaway to the United Kingdom with their two daughters. Upon ending the trip, Erin uploaded a carousel of photos to her Instagram and used the opportunity to reflect on some of the differences she noticed between the U.K. and the United States. While the caption was likely meant to be a fun, cheeky commentary on their travels, it unfortunately backfired. While Erin did praise some aspects of the U.K. — including their ban on artificial food dyes — she wrote it fell short in many respects, including its lack of widespread air conditioning and the fact that they don't have ranch dressing. "I wish their laundry soap worked better," she continued. "I like our toilets that flush reliably."

Folks weren't pleased with Erin's assessment, and they took to the comments section (which has since been turned off) to criticize the trivial remarks while also underscoring that many were simply incorrect. "My parents' toilets flush really well, and I love their washing detergent," wrote one local, per Scoop Upworthy. "I wish we had universal healthcare, paid family leave, free period products, strong unions, abortion rights, anti-fascist leaders and so much more that Scotland has, that we don't," went another scathing remark, per House Beautiful. Others still noted that Erin appeared to be focused on the wrong issues with one comment reading (via Scoop Upworthy), "Food dyes are much less of an issue than food insecurity that many American children and elders face every single day."

Mere hours after Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University in September 2025, Erin Napier took to Instagram to share her thoughts. It wasn't the first time that Ben and Erin Napier's controversial political views sparked debate, but her stance on Kirk really riled up a portion of her fanbase. In an Instagram Story seen by TV Insider, Erin told followers, "Only the demonized celebrate death." Not everyone agreed, though, and they made it known, privately responding to Erin who, in turn, reposted their comments, further fueling the heated discussion taking place on her page.

Rather than rising above the situation, Erin made the decision to publicly begin shaming those she disagreed with. "I am revolted," she slammed. "Christ, have mercy on us all." Over the next several days, the reality star continued to share screenshots of DMs and respond to them with quips like, "Thanks for making an unfollow easy peasy." She also told everyone who messaged her with differing viewpoints to unfollow her and went as far as to call one commentator a "sick goblin."