Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson Detail Hardships Ahead of Married to Real Estate’s Cancellation

For Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson, Married to Real Estate began with a spark of creativity — and a camera phone.

Balancing their life in Georgia as parents and real-estate professionals, the couple turned their everyday world into a hit HGTV renovation series that debuted in 2022, ran for four successful seasons, and even earned a 2025 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Instructional/How-To Program.

“I don’t even know what we were filming five or six years ago,” Sherrod, 48, recalls as she and Jackson speak openly for the first — and what they call “probably only” — time about their journey and the show’s unexpected cancellation. “Fast forward to what it actually became, I think what we’re most proud of is just the possibility it showed people — what you can create when you don’t wait.”

Beyond the designs and renovations, the couple says their proudest achievement was the community they built. “We’re proud of the impact and influence we’ve had,” Jackson says, noting that fans often tell them they pursued careers in real estate or design because of the show’s honesty and heart.

Sherrod adds, “We faced some obstacles as a family and as television hosts. Historically, there hadn’t been a show with an African American family on HGTV that lasted more than one season.”

So when the pair learned this summer — while on vacation in the Mediterranean — that Married to Real Estate would not be renewed, the news came as a shock. “We came back on this amazing high,” Sherrod recalls. “I lie to you not, we were still at the airport loading our bags in the car when management and the agency called us to tell us about the show.”

She laughs at the timing: “Mike and I just looked at each other and burst out laughing. We said, ‘What are the chances of coming back from vacation again and getting this kind of news?’” (They’d received tough updates after a prior trip to Costa Rica for their 14th anniversary.)

“Maybe we shouldn’t go on vacation anymore,” Sherrod jokes. “Every time we did, something major happened.”

Although Jackson says he “immediately went into positive mode” and Sherrod tried to keep it light, she admits there was real disappointment. Sherrod had a long history with the network, first hosting Property Virgins and Flipping Virgins. Together, the couple also appeared on Brother vs. Brother, Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge, and Rock the Block, which they won in season 4.

HGTV said in a statement: “While it is never an easy conversation to share that a show has run its course and will be coming to an end, HGTV has the utmost respect for and enjoyed working with Egypt and Mike on Married to Real Estate for four seasons.”

Still, the couple sensed something was shifting long before the official word. “We kind of knew something was happening,” Sherrod admits. “Season 4 just felt very different.”

Behind the scenes, there were changes in the production team that altered the dynamic. “We weren’t listened to, and it felt like we weren’t respected the same way,” she says. “Not one single person from season 1, 2, or 3 was left. At many points, we felt mowed over.”

Jackson agrees: “There were moments when we thought, ‘Wait, we’re the executive producers. Isn’t this our show, our business, our house, our kids, our marriage?’”

With a new showrunner and unfamiliar team, delays began piling up. “It threw us into dark weeks — meaning production shut down,” Sherrod explains. “This is our business and our reputation. We even spent our own money to make sure clients were happy and projects were done right.”

The setbacks meant season 4 took nearly twice as long to complete and missed its usual January premiere. “Our audience was used to seeing us at a certain time,” Sherrod says. “It felt like a roller coaster waiting to find out when we’d air.”

For Jackson, the changes directly affected viewership. “When people start asking, ‘Are you coming back?’ — that impacts ratings,” he says. “Add that to everything else going on, and it was like, ‘What is happening right now?’”

Then came false rumors about their marriage. “We saw articles claiming we were separating,” Jackson says. “We were like, ‘Where is this coming from? We’re still deeply in love and traveling together!’ It was wild — exec changes, shifting time slots, and now fake stories online.”

The couple says they were most surprised by the lack of communication from the network they considered family. “What was odd was when we weren’t getting advocacy or phone calls back,” Sherrod says.

Later, they learned HGTV’s head of content, Loren Ruch, had been privately battling acute myeloid leukemia before his passing at 55. “It breaks my heart,” Sherrod says. “We went to his memorial. But at the time, we just needed someone to help us navigate the storm. We didn’t feel we had that support.”

In the end, she says simply, “That’s how a hit show gets canceled.”

While their time on HGTV may be over, the couple isn’t closing the door on Married to Real Estate entirely. “It was the full 360 of our family and our businesses,” Sherrod explains. “We don’t want to go back to a templated show just to be on TV. We’re taking a beat to either create the next phase for us or step away entirely.”

They’re also adapting to the changing media landscape. “Linear television is shrinking,” Sherrod says. “Now we can decide what’s next — and since I own the trademark for Married to Real Estate, we can take it wherever we want.”

Beyond TV, their ventures include Indigo Road Realty, their real-estate brokerage, design firm, and construction company, plus a home furnishings line and their podcast Marriage and Money. “Everything you saw on TV is real,” Sherrod says. “This is just the beginning of our story.”

Reflecting on their journey, Sherrod adds, “It was an amazing roller coaster ride. We have no regrets — we lead with love and we leave with love.”

And to their loyal fans, the couple offers a heartfelt message — and a note of caution. “Thank you to everyone who’s supported us and our little Jackson family,” Sherrod says. Jackson adds, “And know that if it didn’t come from us personally, it didn’t come from us.”

“This is the first and probably the only interview we’ll do about this,” Sherrod concludes. “Anything else with quotes around it didn’t come from us.”