What Erin Napier Doesn't Like About Filming HGTV's Home Town
Renovation duo Erin and Ben Napier have been restoring old homes on HGTV since "Home Town" first aired in 2016. Since then, the couple has experienced a lot of growth, launching their own Mississippi store, appearing on the cover of magazines, and spawning spin-off series such as "Home Town Takeover" and "Home Town Kickstart."
While their TV show depicts the happily-ever-afters of providing homeowners with the perfect historic home renovations, the reality of being an HGTV star isn't always as carefree as it appears on-screen. In fact, Erin has taken to social media several times to push back against the public scrutiny and undue criticism she faces as a TV personality, something the "Home Town" star has worked to set boundaries against.
It's likely that these online experiences have influenced a particular Napier parenting rule, as Erin has shared that she and her husband plan to keep their children off social media. Here's everything we know about Erin Napier's least favorite part of being an HGTV personality.
Napier dislikes the online negativity she faces as an HGTV star
As with any online personality, Erin Napier has faced lots of criticism on the internet, with commenters scrutinizing everything from her parenting decisions to her on-show actions. The "Home Town" host hasn't hesitated to speak out against such negativity, similarly taking to Instagram to establish her personal boundaries.
One of her earliest posts on the matter comes from January 2018, in which the interior designer reflected on social media more generally. "I've been thinking about resolutions this year and the way social media has become such a hugely positive part of the way we communicate as friends and families and communities, but then I also think about the downside of it all," she captions a festive boomerang of her husband.
"The false sense of anonymity it gives people who want to bully or harass or stir up cruelty, those keyboard cowboys and girls who enjoy creating tumult, thinking online is not the real world and no one will call them on it," Erin explained, going on to challenge her fans to start kind and meaningful real-life conversations with those who take to online bullying. She signs off on the caption, writing, "sincerely, a real-life human who is on TV and still sees what folks write on social."
Erin's online experiences likely influenced this parenting decision
With Erin Napier's response to online negativity in mind, the family's decision to keep their children off social media isn't surprising. The Napiers don't post photos of their two daughters' faces online as a protective measure, instead choosing to capture moments in a way that obscures their faces strategically, such as this beach day post.
In a 2021 Instagram story reposted by People, Erin publicly addressed this decision after receiving negative comments on a now-deleted photo of her oldest daughter Helen a month earlier. "[Helen] exists, and we are proud of her, but her likeness is ours to protect and decide when it's okay to share, no one else's. That's our personal choice, and it's not the same for everyone," she wrote. In addition to this protective measure, Erin has also talked about her intention of keeping her children off social media and smartphones, explaining in an Instagram post from December 2022 the value she found in growing up during a pre-social media era.
"I am so thankful I grew up without the crushing pressure of social media. As a highly sensitive artistic kid, the criticism or silence of 'likes' would've hurt me deeply," she captioned a high school photo of herself. "We and all our closest friends have made an agreement that until our kids are grown, they won't have smartphones bought on our dime... Childhood is so short. We're gonna savor every last second of our girls' that we can."