The Biggest Rumors About HGTV's Ben And Erin Napier

Many people know Ben and Erin Napier from their longtime home improvement show, "Home Town," which premiered on HGTV in 2016. In the series, the couple helps a client looking for a home in Mississippi pick the house for them before renovating the property and surprising them with the final product. "Home Town" has seen a lot of success, and at the start of 2026, the 10th season premiered on the TV network. 

But even with such steady popularity for their show, the Napiers are like many other celebrities, with rumors continuously swirling about their personal lives and other things. The couple first met in 2004 at Jones County Junior College, with Ben telling People about when he first saw Erin, recalling, "She was walking across the student union, and she had a pixie haircut. I didn't know what a pixie cut was at the time, but I knew I liked it." Ben and Erin soon started dating, and in 2008, they tied the knot. 

The couple returned to Erin's hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, where they moved into a 1925 craftsman home that they started renovating. In 2014, their finished renovation was featured in "Southern Weddings," bringing them to the attention of HGTV and leading to their hit show. As "Home Town" aired, the couple welcomed their first daughter, Helen, in 2018, and their second daughter, Mae, in 2021. While Erin, Ben, and their kids seem to have the perfect life now, some rumors have fans questioning if it's just for show. So, what is the truth about Ben and Erin from "Home Town"?

With Erin and Ben's long-lasting marriage, they are bound to face rumors of marriage problems or a brewing divorce at some point, and only last year, the couple shut down ongoing reports of a pending split. In July 2025, while the Napier family was on a trip to Scotland, Erin shared a stern message on social media addressing the rumors. 

She posted to her Instagram Stories, via Us Weekly, "Can't believe I even have to say this but NO, the click bait articles that we are splitting up are not real, y'all. They are AI generated in India or something and don't even make any kind of sense. Y'all are smarter than this." Erin then added another message requesting that fans don't ask them about it "in front of our babies," referring to their two daughters, saying, "They don't understand what 'online fake news' means and it's upsetting."

Erin has openly praised her relationship with Ben many times over the years. In an interview with Fox News in December 2025, she claimed, "We have pretty much perfect communication with each other. We know everything; we have no secrets. You can't have a secret when you're with someone constantly." As of 2026, Erin and Ben have been together for around 22 years. 

While Ben and Erin Napier's main platform is their show, "Home Town," Erin is quite active on social media, connecting with fans and sharing her thoughts on various topics, including trending controversies. In the past, Erin's takes on various issues have led to backlash from fans, whether she's comparing countries or commenting on tragic events in the U.S.

One instance that led to major backlash from fans, new and old, was Erin's response to the death of Charlie Kirk, a controversial conservative commentator who was shot and killed in September 2025. Initially, Erin didn't say much about the situation aside from posting an Instagram Story that said, via TV Insider, "Only the demonized celebrate death." But it seems like some followers took to Erin's DMs to address the situation and question why she wouldn't denounce Kirk, who was known for being anti-gun control and transphobic, among other things. The TV host declared, "I am revolted by some of the comments in my DMs. Unfollow me, immediately, if you could be one of those comments. Christ, have mercy on us all." Erin went on to share another message from someone claiming that she was homeschooling for their safety and "to prevent something like this from happening to them," referring to school shootings.

Erin had an intense response to this follower, writing, "You know nothing about why I am homeschooling my children, you sick goblin." Other fans shared that they were unfollowing her after her response to the situation, with the HGTV star claiming it was because "I will not celebrate murder," although the situation was arguably a bit more nuanced than this. Since then, Erin has stayed relatively quiet about trending topics related to politics, likely to avoid further controversy. 

Another common rumor that most couples living in the public eye will face is pregnancy rumors, and this has definitely been the case for Erin and Ben Napier. While the two already have two daughters together, fans can't seem to stop asking about whether or not they're expecting a third baby, and Erin has responded to these rumors multiple times by shutting them down.

In late 2022, fans started speculating after Erin said in an episode of their show, "Home Town," that she didn't drink coffee, thinking she was dropping a hint. The next day, Erin shared a direct message to these fans on social media, posting on her Instagram Stories, via Yahoo Life, "Re: last night's episode, I am not expecting, I just don't drink coffee. I will not be expecting ... Our family is complete." She went on, calling out people who took part in the rumors, saying, "It is weird and a bit rude to constantly speculate if a woman is pregnant." While Erin attempted to put the rumors to rest for good, only a couple of years later, she was forced to address a pregnancy rumor again. 

Erin shut down the speculation once more in an Instagram Story in April 2024, via People, telling fans, "not expecting a baby. medically not capable, so please give that a rest?" She added, "we don't need a son to be complete as a family," before explaining that she simply likes to wear loose clothing, not because she's hiding anything. Years earlier, a couple of years after the birth of her first daughter, Helen, Erin opened up in an interview with People about her issues with trying to get pregnant, explaining that she has a perforated appendix, making it difficult to have children. 

Another major rumor the Napier couple faced had to do with Ben Napier and his odd connection to a major Mississippi fraud civil lawsuit. In 2020, some Mississippi government employees were accused of embezzlement in a huge fraud case, and over the next couple of years, involved individuals like John Davis, a former director of Mississippi's welfare agency, pled guilty to both federal and state charges in the case, as reported by PBS. Two other charged individuals, Nancy and Zach New, also pleaded guilty, as Mississippi Today reported in early 2022.

As for how Ben was allegedly involved, it's a bit complicated, but it's connected to how former football player Brett Favre was later charged in an ongoing civil lawsuit over his connection to the case. One of the accusations against Favre alleged that he knowingly accepted $5 million worth of embezzled funds from the fraud scheme to pay for a new volleyball facility at his alma mater University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played the sport at the time. Ben got caught in the crossfire when former Governor Phil Bryant issued a court filing revealing details of his communications with Favre regarding the volleyball center, with reporter Anna Wolfe of Mississippi Today sharing on X that the filing said Ben "assisted with constructing the lockers on Bryant's request."

Erin Napier responded to the tweet, claiming that Ben didn't build anything, but instead "offered a recommendation for a cabinet maker we work with" to Bryant. Wolfe shared a clarification, agreeing that Erin's claim was "consistent" with the filing's details. Aside from this detail, Ben doesn't appear to have any further connection with the fraud investigation and ongoing civil lawsuit, although Ben's scandal still had an effect on the family's reputation in the public's eye.