False Rumors Everyone Believed About HGTV's Ben And Erin Napier

Ben and Erin Napier's personal and professional lives have become well-known to fans of "Home Town." In addition to their TV show, the couple frequently posts on their respective Instagram accounts. In addition, Erin has even shared a decade's worth of introspective journal entries on her Laurel Mercantile website.

In spite of all this disclosure, or perhaps because of it, fans sometimes take this information and jump to unsubstantiated conclusions. Erin herself has fallen into this situation, too. In March 2024, she accused Meta of intentionally causing technical difficulties with Instagram posts about her Osprey initiative. Ben and Erin's kids are banned from social media until young adulthood, and Osprey (Old School Parents Raising Engaged Youth) is an organization dedicated to like-minded families. When Erin tried to advertise an Osprey in-person event, she claimed to People, "It gets suppressed. Posts get a tiny fraction of the views that my usual posts do, which is disturbing." However, this rumor was left hanging, since Meta declined to comment on Erin's claims.

More frequently, however, it's the Napiers who are the subject of rumors ranging from personal topics to legal implications. Whenever Erin discovers false information circulating about her and her family, she doesn't hesitate to step in and debunk it.

Erin and Ben Napier have two children, born in 2018 and 2021. The Napiers encountered some setbacks involving pregnancy, and after experiencing these difficulties, Erin's particularly sensitive to pregnancy rumors — whether they involve her or anyone else. For instance, in an August 2023 Instagram post about the couple's Osprey program, a fan randomly inquired if Erin was pregnant. The HGTV star immediately shut down this idea by responding, "Nope, and it's rude to ask this of any woman."

However, pregnancy speculations refuse to go away. Erin has worked to quash pregnancy gossip multiple times via her Instagram stories. In December 2022, Erin admonished fans who thought her refusal to drink coffee meant she was pregnant. Besides informing her audience that coffee is never her beverage of choice, Erin unequivocally stated, "Our family is complete" (via Yahoo Life).

In April 2024, Erin returned to this same strategy when her wardrobe choices caused people's imaginations to work overtime. This time, Erin opted for detail in her response while steering clear of TMI. After she recapped a rough weekend of caring for a sick kid, Erin remarked, "not expecting a baby. medically not capable ... i just like loose clothes" (via People). A quick perusal of Erin's Instagram demonstrates her preference for billowy dresses and slouchy sweaters. Hopefully, her clearly worded messages will eventually put this rumor to rest permanently.

In August 2023, the internet was besieged with false ads claiming Ben Napier was touting a keto supplement. Erin Napier quickly took action to set the record straight, informing fans of the scam on her Instagram. She requested viewers spread the word so that people weren't misled about the product.

Other content creators did their part to dispel the rumor, pointing out that the claims about losing weight by simply eating a supplement demonstrated it was a questionable product. Sadly, one commenter admitted to being duped and buying the gummies because of the false association with the Napiers.

In contrast, while Ben's appearance has changed over his TV career, he's been candid about his methods. In 2018, Ben reported that he exercised at least three times a week. A year later, he revealed that he'd lost 55 pounds since his daughter's birth, which motivated him to boost his activity level and eat healthier. "I've always done well with cutting carbs," Ben explained to Today. "I try to do a good mix of cardio and weights five days a week. Most weeks, it ends up only being four days." He also admitted his struggle to avoid the temptations of the food offered during the production of "Home Town." In 2023, Ben took his regime up another notch in preparation for rotator cuff surgery, and by the end of the year, his weight loss totaled 95 pounds.

In 2022, Ben Napier was wrapped up in a fraud scandal that involved football legend Brett Farve and allegations of misappropriation of welfare money in Mississippi. As part of the proceedings, a barrage of text messages and other documentation was made available. In an article for Mississippi Today, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anna Wolfe cited this documentation when she wrote,  "Ben Napier assisted with constructing the lockers on [then-Governor] Byrant's request" at the University of Southern Mississippi as part of a volleyball stadium built with the allegedly misdirected funds.

After Ben's name was associated with the case, Erin Napier leaped to his defense. "Ben didn't build lockers for anyone," she wrote in a later-deleted post on X, formerly Twitter (via Heavy). "The governor texted asking him if he could recommend someone to build wooden lockers, and Ben offered a recommendation for a cabinet maker." Wolfe responded by updating her post on X, explaining to readers that Ben's actions were above aboard. Wolfe also included a screenshot from the 70-page legal document, demonstrating that the language she used in her article was very close to the court-provided materials. That dossier's info came from a text exchange between Bryant and Farve where the then-governor asked Farve to help promote "Home Town" on social media since "Ben helped us with the lockers." Ambiguous language like "assisted" and "helped" lacked the specificity of Erin's explanation, leading one commenter/attorney to recommend that the Napiers seek legal advice. 

Through their shared experiences, some HGTV stars have developed strong friendships off-screen. This is particularly true of Erin and Ben Napier and Chip and Joanna Gaines. "Chip and Joanna have been absolutely lovely mentors to us," Erin divulged to Fox News in 2017. Erin also noted that she and Joanna have connected over their shared faith and that Joanna gave her helpful advice about dealing with fame and social media. The two couples may have also bonded due to the similar missions in their TV series: revitalizing older houses so that people can love and enjoy them.

Perhaps because of this common ground, however, "Home Town" has been compared to "Fixer Upper" from the start. Hints of friction between the Napiers and Gaineses came to a head in March 2021. "When Chip and Jo left the network, execs scrambled to find a carbon copy," an unnamed individual asserted to OK! "It irritates Chip and Jo to see Erin and Ben copying everything they do."

Clearly, these claims were unsubstantiated since both sides stepped in quickly to dispel this rumor and reaffirm their friendship. To further weaken the accusations, two months earlier, Erin had posted an Instagram story where she expressed her gratitude to the Gaineses for sending her daughter a thoughtful note and present when the young girl was recovering from a broken bone.

"Home Town" fans aren't afraid to sound off on social media when they don't like design choices on the show's finished homes. The couple has taken time to explain to fans that these aren't their choices: their customers are the ones taking the lead. "You're gonna hate that," Erin sometimes finds herself thinking, as she explained to Mississippi Today. She added, "If someone is just, like, really adamant about making a terrible choice in their house ... they explain why, and then we let it go because it is their house."

However, despite taking deliberate steps to show customers expressing their wishes in the show, fans continue to target their ire towards Ben and Erin for bringing these ideas to life. Rather than throwing their clients under the bus, Erin and Ben have jumped in to admonish these negative commenters. They've also expressed concern that homeowners would see the harsh words and get upset.

In addition, Erin's not afraid to take ownership of her style choices when they get panned hard. In spring 2024, viewers were especially vocal about their dislike for a sage green and white striped awning above one home's front door. "I know y'all were upset," Erin admitted on Instagram. She went on to explain it was a budgetary concession. The other option, she noted, "would have made it too expensive to have any woodwork and larger trim inside."