HGTV Stars Egypt Sherrod And Mike Jackson's Love Story Is More Complex Than We Realized

HGTV power couple Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson are known for hit series like "Married to Real Estate" and "Rock the Block." While the two make a great on-screen home improvement team, they're also an aspirational couple off-camera. We previously covered the surprising way the couple met in an exclusive interview from 2022, with Sherrod and Jackson explaining that their romance budded after working together on a renovation project.

"[She] needed some extra hands, and the team that showed up was mine," Jackson shared. "And from that point on, we were inseparable." While this fated renovation site reunion is an important part of their love story, it turns out that this is only a piece of the puzzle. Sherrod and Jackson actually met prior to this particular project, in a different profession altogether, as they both worked in radio entertainment.

Though it was love at first sight for Jackson, it took a little longer for Sherrod to come around, but their chance encounters eventually brought them permanently together. With this in mind, here's everything you need to know about Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson's love story.

As mentioned, Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson first met when working in radio entertainment. Sherrod shared in an interview with Authority Magazine that her husband was a DJ and she was the personality. She wasn't on the lookout for any love connections, but Jackson felt instantly pulled toward the Philadelphia native when he spotted her at an event.

"I saw her from afar at a nightclub. There were 10,000 people there," Mike told HGTV. "And I saw her backstage and the light was literally only on her. From that moment on, I knew she was my wife. I told the security guard to let me back there, because I needed to talk to someone."

While Sherrod felt an instant attraction to her future husband, it wasn't a connection she was looking to pursue. "The wisest words I ever received as a woman in entertainment was to NEVER date a co-worker in the industry," she explained to Authority. Despite this, Jackson wasn't deterred, with the builder feeling confident that they would somehow meet again. Turns out, he was right.

Before they collaborated on a renovation project, Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson had another chance encounter at the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. "I'm on a float rehearsing, and she's on another float," Jackson explained to HGTV. "Hot day — so I didn't have my shirt on, and unbeknownst to me, she had walked past that float several times trying to get my attention.

Sherrod recalled that she didn't initially realize it was Jackson, but that she was intrigued by the sight of his muscles. "I said to my friend, 'I gotta get a closer look. Let's act like we're going to McDonald's and walk past his float,'" the real estate agent said. They passed his float on multiple occasions and that was when Sherrod heard her name being called out. "My friend's like, 'The hot guy's calling you!' I look up and I realize it's him, and we talk a little, but he never asks for my number."

Not wanting to risk another rejection in front of her friend, Jackson didn't ask for Sherrod's number, but he also wouldn't need it. It was only a few months after their parade run-in that the two would find themselves working on their first reno together in New Jersey. The rest, as they say, is history.