Erin Napier Confirms ‘Home Town’ Season 11 and Teases New HGTV Series ‘Inn This Together’—Here’s the Premiere Timeline

Erin Napier, the HGTV Home Town host celebrated for restoring Laurel, Mississippi alongside husband Ben, is mourning the loss of her beloved Aunt Marilyn—affectionately known to viewers and Mercantile shoppers as “Aunt Mae Mae.” The 41-year-old designer announced the passing in an emotional Instagram tribute posted Wednesday, Nov. 4, sharing photos and memories that instantly resonated with her 1.5 million followers. In the heartfelt caption, Napier revealed that her youngest daughter was named Mae specifically to honor the aunt whose “gift was loving people”—a talent Aunt Mae showcased daily while greeting customers at Laurel Mercantile and Scotsman General Store. “She worked in retail her entire life and could teach a master class in service,” Erin wrote, recalling how Marilyn welcomed strangers as if they were lifelong friends. Beyond her trademark hospitality, Aunt Mae nurtured Erin’s artistic streak long before HGTV cameras arrived. Childhood days were spent walking woodland trails, pressing leaves into scrapbooks, sketching U.S. presidents, and singing Elvis tunes—moments Napier credits with “helping raise up a professional artist without even realizing it.” She added that the scent of Ivory soap and the memory of tiny ice-cream cones topped with marshmallow and strawberry jam will forever be tied to her aunt’s laughter. The family tragedy comes while the Napiers are deep into filming Season 11 of Home Town, their flagship series that just earned a 2026 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Instructional/How-To Program thanks to spinoff Home Town Takeover: Sebring. Production has remained in Laurel so the couple can keep routine with daughters Helen, 8, and Mae, 5. Fans, friends, and fellow HGTV personalities flooded Erin’s comments with condolences, many sharing stories of meeting Aunt Mae at the Mercantile and being escorted to their cars as she chatted about the town’s history. The outpouring underscores the community-first ethos that has made the Napiers—and their tight-knit family—household names in home-renovation television. As filming continues, Erin says she’ll channel her aunt’s boundless warmth into every project. “Her gift was loving people,” she concluded. “I so hope she got to meet Elvis today.”