Red Flags In HGTV's Mike Jackson & Egypt Sherrod's Marriage That Hint They're On The Rocks

On the outside, the relationship between HGTV's Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson appears to have a solid foundation with no cracks. Speaking to Authority Magazine in 2022, Sherrod shared that her path first crossed with her future husband's when she was working as a radio jockey and he was a DJ. Although they hung out a couple of times, Sherrod ultimately sought to keep their relationship strictly professional because she had been strongly advised against romantic entanglements with co-workers. However, their paths later crossed again when they were at very different places in their lives. 

While Sherrod was trying to flip an investment property, she fired her contractor and was pleasantly surprised to learn that her replacement was none other than Jackson. During an exclusive chat with The List in 2022, Jackson said that the surprising way in which he met Sherrod was nothing short of fate, adding, "We kind of fell in love through that renovation." Meanwhile, in a March 2023 appearance on "The Tamron Hall Show," the DJ shared that he knew Sherrod was the one pretty much from the moment he first laid eyes on her. 

Needless to say, Jackson's gut instinct was correct because the HGTV star went on to tie the knot with Sherrod in September 2010. In the following years, Sherrod and Jackson welcomed two daughters, and she also became a stepmother to his daughter from a previous relationship. Although the couple's long-standing relationship is undoubtedly filled with positives, there are also some red flags that make us question if everything is truly as perfect as it seems.

During a 2019 appearance on "Black Love," Egypt Sherrod confirmed that Mike Jackson had popped the question four years into their relationship, and the happy couple actively put all their time, effort, and money towards getting married the following year. However, just two weeks before their big day, Sherrod realized that there was a glaring red flag in their relationship: Jackson's relationship with his ex-wife. "He had to learn how to deal with her on terms where she wasn't dictating when and how and why he would behave, when he could see, and when he could talk, to their daughter," the HGTV star explained.  

Additionally, although people were obviously curious about her decision to call off the wedding, Sherrod's pastor reminded her to focus on what served her best interests and disregard any judgment from outsiders. Elsewhere on "Black Love," the real estate broker also acknowledged that she, too, had carried the scars from her former flames into her romance with Jackson. She didn't even figure it out until Jackson had an honest discussion with her, where he pointed out, "'You are taking it out on me — everything from every other guy that did you wrong, and you're gonna run Mr. Right off,'" per XO Necole. 

His candid words made the "Flipping Virgins" host understand that everybody needed to put in the work to improve themselves and heal from the trauma caused by their past relationships before they set their eyes on a happy future with someone else.

One of the biggest behind-the-scenes struggles that Mike Jackson and Egypt Sherrod faced on "Married to Real Estate" was establishing a work-life balance. During a March 2023 interview with InMan, Sherrod confessed that although she had such a blast working with her husband, it wasn't without its drawbacks, since, "There's some days where I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, I need a break from you!' It's just as you would imagine with anybody who lives and works with someone." Likewise, in an April 2024 chat with Simply Buckhead, Jackson shared that their work day could range from a "rollercoaster-ride" to a "riverboat ride."

Meanwhile, in a March 2025 Us Weekly interview, he disclosed that they still struggled with work-life balance despite working together for years. They were essentially together every minute of every day, so, "We have to remind ourselves to turn it off before we get in the house, so we can focus on having a good meal or dealing with the kids." Given all this, it's good that Jackson and Sherrod aren't afraid to get personal on "Married to Real Estate." 

While speaking to Distractify in 2023, Jackson shared that they didn't want to be run-of-the-mill HGTV hosts that solely focused on the home renovation at hand. Instead, the couple sought to create a core fan base by offering a realistic look into their offscreen lives too. Sherrod echoed a similar sentiment by affirming that they wanted their audience members to see their own struggles in maintaining a work-life balance reflected in them.

In a March 2025 clip from HGTV's "Married to Real Estate," Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson bickered over petty issues in full view of the cameras and, by extension, the audience watching at home. First, the married couple disagreed about whether or not their labradoodle, Serene, should be allowed on their bed and sofa because he shed all over anything he sat on. Although Sherrod was okay with their fur baby making a bit of a mess on the furniture, Jackson argued that it left them with no choice but to constantly wash their sheets. Then, the couple butted heads over how to properly roll their bedsheets, eventually agreeing to have a friendly challenge to see who was the better sheet folder. 

Sherrod and Jackson got into a similarly petty argument back in October 2024, with the reality star even taking to Instagram to voice her frustrations to her followers. In the video, the real estate broker detailed how she and her hubby had crafted what Sherrod believed was a wonderful surprise for their kids. When the special day arrived, Sherrod tried to get her kids excited for the surprise by creating some suspense, only to learn that they already knew what their parents had in store for them because Jackson already told them, ruining the surprise.

Although the "Flipping Virgins" star was apparently poking some light-hearted fun at the matter, Jackson didn't seem to be in the best of moods and refused to say a word in the video, despite his wife's prompts. While it's normal for couples to occasionally squabble over relatively inconsequential issues, it seems to indicate a disconnect between Sherrod and Jackson.

During a June 2023 appearance on the "Girl Stop Playing Podcast," Egypt Sherrod divulged that her longtime relationship with Mike Jackson endured a rough patch after they already had been together for seven years. As the beloved HGTV personality recalled, "I fell out of this space of just wanting to make him happy, and more about making myself happy." So, Sherrod took matters into her own hands and started to do more things that brought her joy and turned her focus on her own dreams and goals instead. 

They also went to couple's therapy to learn how to better handle their marital problems, with the "Married to Real Estate" host acknowledging, "What we were doing was talking at one another and not to one another. We were hearing, but not listening." Sherrod also discussed their marital problems at the 2019 Black Love Summit. The former radio personality sadly admitted that her self-esteem plummeted after she gave birth to their first child, and it gravely affected her desire to have sex with her husband. 

However, Sherrod was unable to discuss her complex feelings with Jackson, and her silence only complicated the situation further. "Not understanding what was going on was more frustrating than anything because I could feel there was a wall being put up," he said, to clarify his perspective from the time. However, after some time and reflection, Sherrod ultimately realized that she had to process her feelings and express them to her husband if she wanted to save their long-standing relationship. And that's what she did.

During their joint chat with Us Weekly, in March 2025, Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson disclosed that they slept in different beds. However, Sherrod insisted that the arrangement worked for them because it enabled her to have candles in her room and listen to Solfeggio frequencies without any interruptions. Meanwhile, Jackson could snore to his heart's content without annoying his wife. "We love [doing] that and then coming [back] together with a little rat-a-tat-tat," the radio personality asserted. While their rather unusual decision undoubtedly seems to be working in the couple's favor, it still shows their need to be apart from each other and further highlights that they fight quite a lot behind the scenes. 

In fact, that wasn't the only time that the celebrity couple hinted that there was trouble brewing. Sherrod confessed to Her Agenda in February 2022 that they often had to "compartmentalize things" to keep the peace at home after a long day, "Because sometimes when you're in the workspace and you're both perfectionists, things can get tense at times, which is natural because you want to make sure you put out a good product." 

However, despite their best efforts to keep their work and personal lives separate, the couple still inevitably found themselves discussing work while sharing a meal at home. To their credit, though, they recognized these moments and immediately put an end to the conversation. Suffice it to say that although Sherrod and Jackson appear to have a fairytale romance, they seemingly deal with the same problems that any regular couple does.