Social media moves fast. One minute you're looking at a perfectly restored clawfoot tub in Laurel, Mississippi, and the next, you’re in the middle of a digital firestorm involving political assassinations and "sick goblins." It sounds like a fever dream, but for HGTV fans, the Erin Napier Charlie Kirk comment controversy was very real.
It started on a Wednesday in September 2025. Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. The news hit the internet like a freight train. In the messy, polarized world we live in, the reactions were—predictably—all over the place. Some people were mourning. Others, honestly, were celebrating.
Then came Erin Napier.
The Slide That Started It All
Erin isn't exactly known for being a political firebrand. She and her husband, Ben, have built a massive brand on Home Town by being the "wholesome" couple. They fix up old houses, they love their kids, and they stay out of the mud.
But hours after the news broke about Kirk, Erin posted a single slide to her Instagram Story. It was a simple, faith-driven message: “Only the demonized celebrate death.”
She didn't write a manifesto. She didn't endorse Kirk’s politics. She just posted that one sentence.
The backlash was instant. For many of her 1.5 million followers, Kirk was a deeply divisive figure whose views on everything from gun rights to the Civil Rights Act were radioactive. To those followers, Erin wasn't just calling for basic human decency; they felt she was taking a side.
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"Unfollow Me, Immediately"
If you’ve followed Erin for a while, you know she doesn't usually back down when she feels she’s standing on principle. About an hour after that first post, she was back. She told her followers she was "revolted" by the messages she was getting in her DMs.
"Unfollow me, immediately, if you could be one of those comments," she wrote. "Christ, have mercy on us all."
She wasn't kidding.
Over the next few days, the interior designer started doing something she rarely does: she shared screenshots of the hate mail. She wanted people to see exactly what was being sent to her.
One person told her they were literally throwing their Napier-branded books and candles in the trash. They were done with Home Town. Erin’s response? A blunt caption: “Because I will not celebrate murder.”
The "Sick Goblin" Moment
The most intense exchange—the one that really went viral—was with a follower who claimed to be a psychiatrist. This person went after Erin for her decision to homeschool her two daughters, Helen and Mae.
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The commenter basically argued that Erin was homeschooling her kids in Mississippi to keep them safe from the kind of gun violence that Kirk had historically defended as "a prudent deal" for the Second Amendment. The message ended with, "God have mercy on his soul because I do not."
Erin didn't hold back.
"You know nothing about why I am homeschooling my children, you sick goblin," she fired back.
That "sick goblin" label took on a life of its own. To her critics, it was proof that the "sweet" HGTV persona was a mask. To her supporters, it was a mother rightfully defending her family from a stranger's weird, targeted projection.
Why This Hit Different for Fans
Why did this cause such a massive rift? It’s because the Napiers occupy a very specific space in American culture. They are "safe." They represent a version of the South that feels inclusive and warm.
When Erin waded into the Kirk situation, it shattered that illusion of a politics-free zone for a lot of people. On Reddit and TikTok, the debates were endless.
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- The Critics: They argued that Kirk’s rhetoric contributed to a culture of hate, and that staying silent on school shootings while speaking up for a political provocateur felt "performative."
- The Supporters: They argued that regardless of someone's politics, celebrating a murder is a moral low ground. They saw Erin as a Christian woman sticking to a "love thy neighbor" (or at least "don't cheer for death") philosophy.
The Aftermath and Where It Stands
By Sunday, September 14, the dust began to settle—sort of. Erin posted a final prayer, asking for the "strength to love" and "kindness even as we reject wickedness."
The suspect in the shooting, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was eventually arrested and charged with aggravated murder. But for the Home Town community, the damage was done for some, while others felt closer to the Napiers than ever.
It’s a reminder that in 2026, there is no such thing as "just a home renovation show." Everything is connected.
What you can do next:
If you’re feeling a bit exhausted by the digital noise, it might be time to take a page out of the Napiers' actual playbook—not the social media one.
- Check your digital diet: Erin actually runs an organization called Osprey that focuses on keeping kids off social media. Even if you aren't a kid, taking a 24-hour break from the comments sections can do wonders for your sanity.
- Separate the art from the artist: If you love their design work but hate their personal stances, it’s okay to just watch the show for the flooring ideas. You don’t have to buy the candles if you don't want to.
- Engage with nuance: Next time a public figure makes a polarizing comment, try to look at the specific words used rather than the headlines. Usually, the truth is somewhere in the boring middle.