Home Town Takeover star Erin Napier has been warring with her own Instagram followers since last Wednesday (September 10) when conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot.
Hours after Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Erin took to her Instagram Story and shared a brief message, writing, “Only the demonized celebrate death.”
Erin, who hosts HGTV shows with her husband Ben Napier, seemed to draw the ire of some fans with her message, leading to her sharing many of the responses on her Instagram Stories over the next few days.
“I am revolted by some of the comments in my DMs,” Erin wrote in a follow-up post. “Unfollow me, immediately, if you could be one of those comments. Christ, have mercy on us all.”
The situation heated up on Friday (September 12) when the interior designer began posting screenshots of specific messages from her followers, many of them criticizing her for her stance. In one message, a user threatened to stop watching her shows and toss their Napier products.
“Because I will not celebrate murder,” Erin captioned the post.
Another message came from an alleged psychiatrist, who blasted Erin for her support of Kirk. “Really Erin? You are homeschooling your precious children in LAUREL, MS (of all places) to prevent something like this from happening to them,” the user wrote, referencing Kirk’s stance on guns.
“This guy was ALL FOR IT,” the poster continued. “He died for what he believed in. God have mercy on his soul because I do not.”
Erin fired back, “You know nothing about why I am homeschooling my children, you sick goblin.”
Another message she shared saw a former fan writing, “Thanks for making an unfollow easy peasy.”
Again, Erin replied, “Because I will not celebrate murder.”
Erin’s Instagram Stories have since expired; however, on Sunday (September 14), she shared a prayer post, writing, “Give us strength to love, give us your peace and your kindness even as we reject wickedness and let it be what the world sees in me.” One of the first comments underneath the post came from fellow HGTV star Jenny Marrs who simply stated, “Amen.”
Kirk was shot and killed last Wednesday while giving a speech as part of his “American Comeback Tour” series.
On Friday, President Donald Trump confirmed that police had arrested the shooting suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who is accused of aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and other charges.
