Erin Napier Gushes Over Husband Ben's Sentimental Gift He Gave Her After Searching for Over a Decade
Erin Napier Gushes Over Husband Ben's Sentimental Gift He Gave Her After Searching for Over a Decade
Christopher EdwardsThu, June 18, 2026 at 4:03 PM UTC
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Credit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic -
Erin Napier received a restored Jeep Cherokee Country from husband Ben for Mother's Day, mirroring one of her old cars
Ben spent years searching for a near-identical version of Erin's totaled car, complete with nostalgic CDs
Erin shared how the sentimental gift brought back memories and created new ones with their daughters
Erin Napier received a very sentimental —and large! — gift for Mother's Day.
The Home Town star, 40, shared a glimpse of husband Ben Napier's special Mother's Day gift to her in an Instagram post on Thursday, June 17. In the post, Erin revealed that Ben bought her a Jeep Cherokee Country as a tribute to her old car that was totaled over 20 years ago.
"In 1997 my parents bought a brand new Jeep Cherokee Country. Olive green with a tweed interior. We drove it all over America, and in 2002 it became mine because I was playing a lot of shows and needed to haul my amp and guitars. In 2004, it got totaled by a driver coming over a blind hill on my side of the road. I was heartbroken," said Erin.
Erin revealed that Ben, 42, with whom she shares daughters Helen, 8, and Mae, 5, had been searching for a similar car for years.
"It had a Blind Melon sticker on the back windshield and @countingcrows' Recovering the Satellites in the CD player. I would still be driving it today if that accident had never happened. Ben has been searching the country for one exactly like it since we met. Many came close, but never the ONE," said Erin.
"Until this year for Mother's Day, he surprised me. It was exactly like mine, with very few miles on it, hiding out in North Carolina. I am 20 again when I drive it. My mama cried a little when I drove up their driveway in it. She said it felt like we went back in time. Now my girls pick the CD we play from my CD books in the backseat. ❤️"
In the comments, Erin revealed that Ben even bought CDs to go with the vintage car.
"Y'all. He also bought any CDs he thought I would have loved back then to make sure they were always in the console. He KNOWS me," the interior designer wrote.
Fans swooned over the thoughtful gift in her comments.
"What a sweet story! Something about those first cars that we connect so deeply with. It defines us, gives us our first taste of freedom. Good job Ben! Create those memories with your girls," one fan commented.
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"I showed this to my husband as I also have a deeply beloved Jeep (Liberty) in my past. He said “listen, let me give you some good advice. If you ever get the chance to marry Ben Napier, take it. Otherwise you're stuck with me.” 😂" another fan joked.
"In a world that is obsessed with robot cars, we need more of this 🥹" a third fan commented.
Erin and Ben Napier on The Heirloom Podcast in June 2026.Credit: The Heirloom/YouTube
Erin recently reflected on another celebration that was less heartwarming for the family.
In a June 7 appearance on The Heirloom Podcast, Erin and Ben spoke about the devastating August 2025 fire that burned their Heirloom Hotel project. Speaking to their partners on the project: Erin's cousin Jim Rasberry, Jim's wife Mallorie, their longtime pal Josh Nowell and Josh's wife Emily, the HGTV stars detailed Erin's tough 40th birthday that fell right after the incident.
“I don't know if you want to leave all this in there, but the fire happens,” Ben explains. “A close member of the extended family goes into the hospital and nobody really knows what's going on. Erin's parents chose to have their dog put down that week, and then Erin's turning 40.”
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Erin then remembered how Mallorie was excited to throw a party for her milestone, but the news of the fire put a damper on the celebration.
“Mallorie had volunteered to host my 40th birthday party. And I was like, ‘We are not having the party this weekend. That is not happening.' And Mallorie said, ‘I need to be with all my people.'” Erin said.
“So we had the party, and it was the saddest party in the world,” she continues, before adding with a laugh, “All I wanted for my birthday was to eat dip. So, we ate dip and cried.”
Later in the episode, Ben joked that they'll redo the celebration when Erin turns 45 or 50.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
