HGTV’s Ben and Erin Napier Refuse to Put Fame Over Family
By Movieguide® Staff
Ben and Erin Napier of HGTV’s HOME TOWN said they refuse to put fame over their family.
The adorable Mississippi couple sat down with People magazine to discuss how they go about making their 3-year-old daughter, Helen, their top priority.
“We say no to a lot of opportunities,” Erin told the magazine.
“For 18 years we get to be an influence in her life. I want those years to be really good and happy and healthy, because we can never get them back,” Erin said. “No matter how great an opportunity or amount of money, nothing is worth missing out on memories together with Helen.”
To make it work, the couple has a general rule for traveling: “If somebody wants us to come and speak at something or there’s an appearance or work-related trip, we say, ‘If we can do it in two nights or less then we can come. But if it’s going to be three nights, then we have to bring our nanny and Helen and we need you to foot the bill for that,” Erin said.
“If it’s like, ‘Oh, well we don’t have the budget for that.’ Well, then, we can’t come.’ ”
In addition to family, the couple puts a heavy emphasis on their Christian faith.
“For us, none of this would have happened without our faith. I’m sure a lot of people would say that, but for us, it was literally not something that we were seeking out. TV was never even an idea for us,” Ben told Guideposts.
“It was kind of like we were stepping into something totally unknown simply by saying, ‘Yes, OK, God, we’re going to let You take this and if it works, great, and if it don’t, we know You’ll take care of us.’ For me and for Erin, too, we both rely on our parents a lot for advice. And when you are from South Mississippi and you start talking about having a national TV show on HGTV, that doesn’t really happen,” he continued.
In addition to HOME TOWN, the couple will also appear in a spin-off show to appear on Discovery+, HOME TOWN: BEN’S WORKSHOP. The show will bring celebrities into Ben’s shop every episode.
