Rumors About HGTV's Ben And Erin Napier We Can't Ignore

Erin and Ben Napier surely never imagined that a shared passion would give their lives a complete revamp. In an April 2020 interview with People, Erin revealed that the beloved HGTV couple had inadvertently taken the first step to notoriety when they decided to renovate a cottage that she had her heart set on since childhood. Since the Napiers didn't have a whole lot of money in those days, they had to get creative to make their vision a reality. And the duo's creativity shone through in the social media posts Erin shared chronicling their journey, earning them shoutouts from several news outlets and a life-changing phone call from an HGTV producer. What makes their journey to reality stardom even more impressive is the fact that neither party had ever worked in the home renovation space before they got their big break on the network. 

Although Erin and Ben's success on television earned them financial security and a devoted fanbase, it wasn't without its caveats. Speaking to Atlanta magazine in October 2020, Ben admitted that the public scrutiny had affected their family life. "The worst part of fame is finding ways to keep Helen protected from it," the HGTV star acknowledged, referring to his daughter. "When we go out as a family, making sure people don't try to take her photo is tricky." Ben stressed that although he was happy that fans got a lot of joy from their work, he wished they could recognize that their kids didn't agree to be thrust into the spotlight. Additionally, being in the public eye has also negatively impacted the Napiers themselves, making them the center of several rumors.

HGTV star Erin Napier's rare comments on politics have only fueled further speculation about her supposed beliefs. A scandal that the stars of HGTV's "Home Town" could never erase occurred during the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement. In June 2020, Erin shared an Instagram photo of Mr. Rogers resting his feet in a wading pool with Officer Clemmons. That simple pic actually held a lot of significance since it was a re-enactment of a scene from a 1969 episode of Rogers' show, which aired during an uproar over racial segregation in pools. By sharing a pool with a Black man, the beloved TV star was believed to have confirmed that he was against racism. 

In the present day, though, many found that Napier's response to BLM didn't make any statement at all. Responding to the concerns of one such fan in her Instagram DMs, the HGTV star wrote, "I want you to know that my social media quiet is not a difference of opinion." She continued, "I think taking a 'bigger' stand lies in the small opportunities we meet everyday as we go to the post office or order food in a restaurant." The HGTV star also expressed skepticism about social media movements in general, asserting they were a fad. 

She similarly found herself in hot water in September 2025, when Napier condemned the people who were making light of Charlie Kirk's assassination in an Instagram Story. After receiving loads of angry DMs about her response, she urged people to unfollow her instead of leaving hate comments. Napier also openly labeled one critic a "goblin" for questioning why she supported the late podcaster despite his polarizing views on guns (via TV Insider). 

There are plenty of red flags in Ben and Erin Napier's relationship that are hard to ignore. For one, in an April 2023 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Erin revealed that they were basically together at all times. The reality star followed that up with another eyebrow-raising revelation: "We've formed our adult identities around each other." Then, during a March 2025 chat with Us Weekly, Erin admitted that she was no stranger to envy. Although she had full faith in her hubby, the HGTV star still couldn't help but feel uneasy when she saw an attractive woman trying to get his attention on social media. At one point, Erin had also grown suspicious of Ben because he had an uncharacteristic afternoon shower while she was away. She had even called her husband to discuss how far her imagination had leaped with that simple bit of info.

In an exclusive chat with The List, a relationship expert professed that Erin Napier's jealousy was a part of a deeper problem. "You can trust your partner with your conscious mind based on his actions — and still feel jealousy in your heart or body," noted behavior and relationship expert Patrick Wanis, PhD, the creator of SRTT Therapy (Subconscious Rapid Transformation Technique), with a focus on trauma, eating disorders and addiction. Wanis continued, "Jealousy is rarely about the other person — it's about what's unresolved within you. Jealousy springs forth from a source of insecurity and fear." Ultimately, he believed that someone in Erin's shoes ought to do some deep inner work to figure out where her jealousy really stemmed from.

Time and time again, the hosts of HGTV's "Home Town" have found themselves at the center of rumors that they are parting ways for good. As a result, it's unsurprising that Erin Napier didn't mess around when confirming the truth behind the divorce rumors. Taking to Instagram Stories in July 2025, the reality star wrote, "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," (via House Beautiful). Erin ultimately hoped that the couple's fans wouldn't be deceived by nonsensical AI-generated articles that existed solely to generate clicks. In a follow-up post, she also urged fans to stop questioning them about such "upsetting" rumors in front of their kids because they were too young to understand anything about fake news. 

In a July 2025 chat with our sister site, Glam, holistic dating coaches Orna and Matthew Walters, of Love on Purpose, professed that Erin's denial could actually be a red flag. The experts believed that a couple that repeatedly made statements about their love life could be dealing with a rocky relationship privately. Matthew and Orna elaborated, "In a stable partnership, there's a sense of safety and security that doesn't rely on public statements of reassurance." With that statement in mind, it's even harder to ignore that Erin's Instagram is basically just photos of Ben Napier. Granted, it's normal for anyone to want to share photos of their family life with fans. But going overboard with the pictures might be a sign that they're trying to portray their relationship in a better light to the public.

Unfortunately, Erin Napier's repeated pleas with fans haven't done much to put an end to speculation about her secretly being pregnant. In April 2024, Erin Napier took the high road while putting the pregnancy rumors to rest yet again. "Not expecting a baby," the mother-of-two confirmed in an Instagram Story, per People. She added, "Medically not capable, so please give that a rest? We don't need a son to be complete as a family." After insisting that she was just fond of wearing loosely-fitting clothes, Erin once again urged fans to put an end to all the pregnancy chatter.

That wasn't the first or last time that a simple clothing choice got people talking, though. After Erin turned down a cup of coffee during a December 2022 episode of "Home Town," fans again began speculating that she was expecting. In an Instagram Story posted shortly afterward, Erin Napier revealed a little-known fact about herself: She is not a coffee drinker. After reiterating, once more, that she would not be getting pregnant in the future either, Erin urged fans not to assume that she was dropping little Easter eggs about her personal life in episodes of the HGTV show. 

Erin also set the record straight on how she felt about the rumor mill more generally, writing, "It is weird and a bit rude to constantly speculate if a woman is pregnant," (via Yahoo! Life). So, when a fan dropped an Instagram comment in August 2023 inquiring as to whether Erin and Ben Napier would be welcoming their third child together anytime soon, her response was understandably curt: "Nope, and it's rude to ask this of any woman."

Somewhat shockingly, HGTV's Ben Napier once got wrapped up in a fraud scandal. Back in 2020, the Mississippi Department of Human Services brought forth a high-profile lawsuit against numerous Mississippi state government employees, alleging that they had used around $77 million of government funds to make themselves personally richer. According to the New York Times, state auditor Shad White posited that the embezzled money had been set aside to "help the poorest among us," making the situation even darker. Then, in September 2022, journalist Anna Wolfe took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share that the beloved HGTV star was named in the lawsuit because he'd "assisted" with construction of the lockers of a volleyball arena that was built with the misappropriated funds. 

Shortly afterward, Erin Napier tweeted to clarify that her husband hadn't helped with the construction of the project after all, writing, "The governor texted asking him if he could recommend someone to build wooden lockers, and Ben offered a recommendation for a cabinet maker we work with. You should get total clarity on a fact like this before you tweet it," (via Entertainment Now). Although Ben apparently wasn't involved in the high-profile scandal, his reputation still took a major hit from it. 

In 2023, the "Home Town" host once again found himself in the middle of a shady business rumor as people circulated an advertisement featuring him promoting a keto supplement. However, Erin Napier quickly set the record straight on her husband's rumored supplement promotion. Taking to Instagram, the fan-favorite reality TV star clarified that Ben's image had been used to promote keto supplements without his consent and encouraged fans to report such ads whenever they spotted them around.