Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson Juggle Work and Family on HGTV’s ‘Married to Real Estate (Exclusive)
Egypt Sherrod from the new HGTV show Married to Real Estate laughed when asked when she actually sleeps. Sherrod’s business is exploding but add in multiple projects, a rollercoaster real estate industry, and a family of five, Sherrod and husband Mike Jackson had the perfect recipe for a new home renovation show like no other.
The new series incorporates the compelling home transformation eye candy delivered on many HGTV home renovation series, stitched together with the human and emotional element of being a parent and a spouse. But with all these balls in the air, Sherrod joked about sleep.
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” she chuckled with Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
‘Married to Real Estate’ fans will see the couple grow their business along with their growing children
Sherrod explained why she’s constantly in motion. “So I’ve been a real estate broker for almost 20 years, and prior to joining the show, I started to expand my business to also include design. And then we got the great idea to move this business under one roof and just be a one-stop-shop for renovation.”
“The juggling of doing that, literally building a business while you’re continuing to work, there’s no downtime,” she added. “But then also you’re juggling the needs of three kids who are very different ages. So they all need something very different from us. Our 20-year-old is in college. We have a now 10-year-old in fourth grade and then a 2-year-old who is boss baby.”
A preview for the first episode showed Sherrod experiencing an emotional moment when she realizes baby Harper isn’t going to be a baby for much longer. “I just brought her home, do you know what I mean?” she shared with friend Andre when it came time to move Harper from her crib to a bed. “And Kendall used to sleep in this crib. I was so excited that Harper could take her old bedroom set. I’m just having a really hard time right now.”
The series shows the personal and business aspects of working with your spouse
Sherrod and Jackson explained that Married to Real Estate strikes a balance between the business side of renovations and giving viewers a peek into their personal life. “We would describe it as us living our lives and all that that entails running three businesses, raising three kids, you know?” Sherrod said. “You know, keeping our 17 and a half year marriage going strong. Oh, and by the way, the cameras are there.”
“I mean, you know, we’re business powerhouses, but we’re also mom and dad,” she added. “So, yeah, you know, we’ve got one that went off to college who, by the way, she just left Sunday for Paris to go study. So, you know, that was a little cry. For dad, not me [laughs].”
“And then, you know, obviously a two-year-old,” Sherrod continued. “She’s growing very quickly and passing all her benchmarks. And, when you have a crazy, busy life, the balance aspect always comes to mind of we don’t want to miss anything, not any of these important moments. So, yeah, you get all of that. But we have our uncles and cousins and our mamas and our, you know, everybody’s a part of the family life, so you get to meet them as well.”
She also joked that Jackson let it be known that his wife snores. “The only thing I don’t love is that he aired out my wig on air on the season and he also aired me out as a horrible snorer,” she laughed. “He’s in the doghouse for that.”
The ‘Married to Real Estate’ transformations are hard to beat
Wigs and snoring aside, Jackson and Sherrod describe a season of incredible home transformations.
While Sherrod couldn’t point to just a single moment, Jackson said one project was especially sweet. “The episode where we build a playhouse for a young girl, and I think the parents loved it more than the kids,” Jackson teased. “So that’s something that I take away and enjoy. Just get to see everyone happy and excited about the reveals and how they put their trust in us, and it worked out with their faith.”
“You know, every family’s needs are a little bit different,” Sherrod added. “And so what we always just try to do is tailor specifically with that family in mind. Even some of the offbeat things that they tell us, you know, that they’re into. For instance, one house we did, the mom was growing a side business. She worked her regular job, but she was doing an at home side business. And we just couldn’t fathom how she was doing that from the kitchen counter. So we created sort of a little factory for her downstairs in the basement as we were renovating. And that’s what we do in each episode.”
Married to Real Estate premieres on HGTV Thursday, Jan. 13, at 9 p.m. ET.
