Everyone who has watched even just one episode of Home Town knows that hosts Ben and Erin Napier are generally upbeat, positive people. After all, the parents of two young daughters spend much of their time helping to revitalize their beloved town of Laurel, Mississippi, by renovating houses and getting their neighbors into the homes of their dreams, so how could they not be? But, if you follow Erin on social media, you also know that she’s never been afraid to call her followers out when they step out of line. Now, she and Ben have revealed “the saddest thing” about meanspirited commenters while making a very good point about the home owners who appear on the series.
What Did Ben And Erin Napier Say Was The Saddest Thing About Meanspirited Home Town Commenters?
As much as we all love the many wonderful things that the internet has brought us, we also know that it can be a treacherous place, especially if you’re active on social media. Home Town’s Erin Napier just so happens to be incredibly active on Instagram, and, as an older southerner might say, she takes absolutely no guff when her followers get nasty. It was years ago that she had to clap back when fans debated why she hides her daughter’s face from her 1.4 million followers, and now she’s tackling the mean comments lobbed at the good people that she and Ben have renovated homes for.
During a filming break while in Florida as they work on the next season of their spinoff, Home Town Takeover, Erin took some time to record a short video addressing the comments she’s seen recently, saying:
We need to talk about something. The comments on my Instagram have been really…not nice. Really rude, some of you guys. Y’all realize, we design these houses for people who really live in them, and they really read your comments. You’re not hurting my feelings at all, but you are being really ugly to the people who are living in these houses. If you can’t think of something nice to say about these people’s homes…You’re not going to hurt my feelings, but you are going to hurt someone’s feelings who lives in that house.
Ugh…Boy howdy, do I ever wish that such a video wasn’t at all necessary. And, kudos to Erin (and Ben, who also piped up during her video) for being able to deliver that message without yelling or cursing or otherwise verbally burning down all of Insta.
As noted, Napier has never failed to speak out when she thinks her fans are being mean or simply making comments that are unnecessary and end up hurting people’s feelings. She spoke out a while ago about those who openly comment on other women’s reproductive situations, and also had to combat that issue again when followers kept asking if she was pregnant (again) after their youngest child, Mae, turned one.
Ben, who appeared to be driving them while the video was recorded and now no longer “worries” Erin after last year’s shoulder surgery, noted that some of these comments have been downright “nasty,” and finished his wife’s thought when she said that if people can’t say anything nice, it would be better if they “don’t say anything at all” about the homes that people from the show are now living in. The couple added:
- Erin: You know better, guys. Do better, OK? Like I tell my little girls, y’all can be grownups and be sweet.
- Ben: Here’s the thing, I’m afraid that a lot of the people out there are being rude, and being mean because they want to be hurtful, and that’s the saddest thing about social media.
- Erin: Oh, yeah. And, if you’re one of those people who are on social media, UN. FOLLOW. ME. NOW. Thank you. I can do that for you if you’d like. Thank you so much for being here today. I hope you have a great day.
Oooooo, weee! If that isn’t the very definition of killing them with kindness, I don’t know what is. I’m kind of surprised that she didn’t throw in a “bless your heart” or an “aren’t you precious” to really show how adamant she is about folks needing to stop being mean on her Instagram. Hopefully, all will take this lesson as intended. Or, at the very least, they have learned to never mess with Erin Napier.
