Inside the Friendship Between HGTV Stars Erin and Ben Napier and Chip and Joanna Gaines 

HGTV is creating long-lasting friendships! Erin Napier and Ben Napier have become one of the most popular couples on the network with their hit series, Home Town. The home renovation experts struck up a great friendship with Fixer Upper couple Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines. Though Chip and Joanna have moved on to start their own network, they still remain in touch with Erin and Ben. 

Home Town viewers have seen Erin and Ben renovate dream homes in their town of Laurel, Mississippi, since 2016. The pair have raised their daughters, Helen and Mae, in their stunning 1925 craftsman cottage in the historic town. Before their show even premiered on HGTV, the Laurel Mercantile Co. owners got to hang out with Chip and Joanna. They all posed for an Instagram photo together in November 2015 with huge smiles on their faces.

After the pilot episode of Home Town aired in January 2016, Erin and Ben’s lives were forever changed. They have since landed several spinoff shows including Hometown Takeover and Home Town: Ben’s Workshop. The couple have their fellow HGTV stars to thank for all of their great pointers on becoming stars. 

“Chip and Joanna have been absolutely lovely mentors to us,” Erin told Fox News in April 2017. “We’re in this really weird adventure, this same crazy journey … We’re all doing our different thing, and our separate thing but it’s not something like we can call our parents and ask for advice … because they’ve never been there.” 

Yet another thing that the Napiers have in common with the Gaines family is their love for the University of Mississippi football team. Erin, Ben and Chip attended an Ole Miss football game together in September 2016. Erin and Ben were both students at the school after they met in 2004. Chip and Joanna have built their design empire in Waco, Texas, but he is always down to travel for a football game. 

In January 2021, Helen had an accident at the playground and broke her tibia and fibula. She had to wear a full leg cast for two months. The Fixer Upper: Welcome Home couple, who are parents to five children of their own, sent Helen the sweetest card and gift to help her feel better. 

“Dear Helen, we hope you get to feeling better soon,” the note said. “We wanted to send you a few things we hope cheer you up. [Our 2-year-old son, Crew], wanted to send you his favorite fishing set too!”

Erin shared the Magnolia Network duo’s sweet gesture in an Instagram story. “Thank you for thinking of our baby,” she captioned a photo of Helen reading the card. Helen has since made a full recovery, and fans are holding out hope that she and Crew will have a play date in the near future.