HGTV Lovebirds Erin & Ben Napier Admit They Rarely Have ‘Date Nights’ Anymore

Erin and Ben Napier are likely HGTV’s — and potentially the nation’s — most romantic couples, from their yearly celebration of the week they fell in love (20 years ago in college) to the love notes he types out for her every morning.

But life with two young daughters — six-year-old Helen and three-year-old Mae — has impacted how the “Home Town” stars keep the romance alive, they admitted to TV Insider on December 12, 2024. In fact, Ben said that he “hasn’t figured out” how to continue having “date nights” with his wife, and Erin said “fancy dates” are definitely out the window.

Erin & Ben Napier Are Saying ‘No’ to Many Things, Including Date Nights Out

The Napiers, who work together every day filming their hit show “Home Town,” have been vocal about wanting to be very present for their kids. They’ve set strict boundaries around their work and travel schedules, and have said their girls don’t like it when they’re not at home as a foursome.

“It’s so hard,” Erin told TV Insider of their efforts to balance work and home. “It’s harder for our work family because they know the girls and our home life is our first priority. So we have to say no to so many things. We have to say no to schedule changes that are at the last minute. We say no to working after five. We say no to working overnight. We say no to almost everything that might disrupt the girls’ lives.”

Erin continued, “You just have to prioritize what you say no to because when you say yes to something, you’re really saying no to something else. That’s what we are always trying to figure out. What are we saying no to that we can say no to?”

One of the things the Napiers have said “no” to lately are nights out on the town together. They took their daughters to New York with them in early December while promoting their involvement with the Salvation Army, but planned to go out on a date night in the city.

“We had a big dinner planned,” Ben told TV Insider. “Just the two of us. We were going to dinner, and it was going to be great. Then after a day of being in the city with the girls and exhausted, we just decided to…”

Erin interjected, “We just thought, ‘Let’s just put on pajamas and DoorDash.’ We don’t have to have fancy dates anymore. That’s a huge thing for us. We’ve gotten very good at celebrating at home and making it special.”

Ben Napier Admits He’s Struggling to Keep Up His Tradition of Romantic Date Nights at Home

At-home date nights are nothing new for the Napiers, though. In 2020, amid the pandemic and adjusting to life with a two-year-old, Erin shared one of her favorite date nights that caused her to cry “a hundred happy tears.”

Ben turned little Helen’s swingset into a “fancy restaurant where the attire code is jammies,” she wrote, noting that he had worked with a friend who’s a chef to cook “the best meal I’ve ever tasted.” She shared that the menu included osso buco with polenta, roasted brussels sprouts, pimento cheese deviled eggs, crostini, and chocolate shortbread.

Erin revealed that Ben “cut a million pink hearts from construction paper and made a roaring fire popping and crackling to keep me warm. No matter his success in life, his gifts are never expensive, but they’re unbelievably priceless.”

Even those dates at home are few and far between, though, Ben admitted, telling TV Insider, “Now Helen doesn’t go to bed until 8:30 p.m. We’re in bed by 9. I haven’t quite figured out how to navigate the date night yet.”

The eighth season of “Home Town” premieres on HGTV on December 29 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.