Getty Egypt Sherrod at the Savannah College of Art & Design in 2018
Real estate expert Egypt Sherrod, host of HGTV‘s “Married To Real Estate,” was flooded with comments on social media when she shared a recent rough spot in her marriage and how she handled it. Many fans are praising her, while others are questioning her.
Sherrod has been on HGTV since 2007, beginning with the show “Property Virgins” and, later, “Flipping Virgins.” According to Essence, she married contractor and music DJ Mike Jackson in September 2010. The couple started filming their life at home with their three daughters during the pandemic, and it inspired their current show, which follows them as they help clients find homes in neighborhoods they think are out of their reach — and share behind-the-scenes looks at their busy family life in Atlanta.
Fans love that Sherrod and Jackson frequently share their whereabouts, perspectives, and relationship insights via social media, but the latest confession has sparked a firestorm of feedback.
Sherrod Reveals Harsh Word Her Husband Called Her
On August 17, 2022, Sherrod uploaded photos of herself and Jackson attending the “Beast” movie premiere, starring actor Idris Elba. She prefaced her comments by writing, “So..boss moms will understand and appreciate what I’m about to say immensely.”
The 45-year-old entrepreneur continued, “For years it has been all about my kids and building my business. So much that I forgot how to be a woman.. a soft woman that is. My husband told me a few months ago that I had become ‘man-ish’ and it cut me to my core. He honestly didn’t mean it in a bad way. We are honest with one another and he was expressing a concern and observation about how I’d become so bullish for my clients and family.”
Sherrod said she handled his comment by reflecting on his words and getting back in touch with her femininity. “I prayed on it and meditated on it,” she said, “then I started pulling back out the cute clothes, the lingerie, flirting with him, but more so listening to him and my divine inner feminity.. ME!”
At the movie premiere, which she noted was their second date night in a week, Sherrod said she felt like her efforts to be more feminine had paid off.
“Underneath my skin I smiled from my heart when I caught my hubby ( and a few other gents) noticing my feminity,” she wrote. “Ladies holler if you hear me! We CAN do it all and be BEASTS at work and go to the rails for our kids. But we have to put the man down and pick the Woman and feminity in us back up where it counts!Love you”
Sherrod Responds to Fans’ Reactions
GettyEgypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson attend Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation Gala on August 9, 2022.
As fans read and responded to Sherrod’s candid post, she stayed online and replied to multiple comments, good and bad.
One fan who loved Sherrod’s insights wrote, “Yes you are absolutely correct. My husband told me that is the one thing he loves is my femininity. I’m a Boss at work, but his women after.”
Sherrod replied, “It really is a THING. I am glad he was brave enough to say it. But deep inside I think I felt it as well. I lost the connection and had to find it again.”
Another woman shared, “This is a very real thing. As entrepreneurs in male dominated industries it often times requires us to be ‘bullish’ but have to remember to dwell and nurture our femininity. Happy to see you balancing, sis.”
Sherrod responded, “Yes, YOU get it!! We turn it on and off everyday. But when we are grinding and pushing hard for greatness we can forget to turn it off and allow ourselves to be loved and vulnerable”
But not everyone agreed with Sherrod’s stance or Jackson’s critique. One person wrote, “This is something I will never understand why is it seen as a negative when females are more masculine I have never been a feminine female it serves no purpose for me I embrace the fact that I’m more ‘masculine’ and stomp it.”
A fan who agreed with that commenter wrote, “Femininity isn’t just clothes and high heels. It’s whatever each woman wants it to be. Also can’t understand how being successful and strong in business is seen as ‘manish’. This reads like a bad advice column in a Victorian magazine.”
Sherrod jumped into the conversation, writing, “I hear you babe. But I think you missed the point of this post. It’s not that we all feel we have to be more feminine. But some of us actually love being soft and being able to put the armor down and allow ourselves to be loved. The challenge comes in when you also partner with an alpha. Two alphas together won’t blend. Someone has to lead and someone has to allow the other to lead at times. I personally can and will STOMP… but when I’m home, I don’t want to. I want to leave that at the door. Normally I had been able to do so. But he noticed that I was carrying my armor everywhere. That’s what he meant by ‘man ish'”
HGTV has ordered a second season of “Married To Real Estate,” with 12 episodes set to premiere in early 2023.