A pioneering real estate entrepreneur, author and designer, live-out-loud TV host, expert competitor and married mom who welcomes the cameras into her own home Egypt Sherrod is a true Renaissance woman. She’s currently the co-host (with her husband, builder Mike Jackson) of HGTV’s Married to Real Estate; she's also hosted Property Virgins and Flipping Virgins. Egypt and Mike competed together in HGTV’s Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge and were crowned Season 3 champions of Rock the Block. Read on to learn all about her upbringing, career, family life and many, many spinning plates.

History and Background

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Egypt spent a year studying at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in New York City and earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting, telecommunications and mass media from Temple University in Philadelphia. Both her media career and her focus on self-reliance and success began before she completed her education: As she told Vibe, she was able to save money from her first jobs and purchase a home for herself at the tender age of 24. “I started in radio when I was 18, hosting a jazz radio show. Then I got my first, real, full-time job in radio as a music director; I was the youngest music director in the country, in Philadelphia at age 19," Egypt said. "And then I was on air as well. So I was earning enough to start thinking about how I was going to make my money work for me. While everyone else was buying pocketbooks and shoes, I was buying properties.”

In May 2024, Egypt was awarded an honorary doctorate from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where she also delivered the commencement speech to the graduating class. "The message I wanted them to carry with them as they embark upon their journeys, is the very same message I want you to remember," she recounted on her website. "You are equipped with everything you need to reach your highest potential."

Egypt’s HGTV Shows

In addition to hosting Property Virgins and Flipping Virgins, Egypt has also helmed HGTV’s annual White House Christmas tour. She’s served as a judge on Brother vs. Brother, Rock the Block and Battle on the Mountain, and she and Mike have competed on Rock the Block and the Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge. Egypt and Mike currently star in Married to Real Estate, a show that follows them through the process of finding and renovating their clients’ homes, as well as the day-to-day experiences of their own family’s life.

Personal Life

Egypt met Mike when she was an on-air radio personality in New York City and he was a DJ (working under the name DJ Fadelf). “The wisest words I ever received as a woman in entertainment was to NEVER date a co-worker in the industry. So, he and I met a few times and there was instant attraction, but we never pursued it,” she told Authority. Years later, they crossed paths again when Mike was working as a builder. “I was flipping one of my investment properties, and he showed up as one of the contractors who took over from the ones I fired," Egypt said. "I certainly looked at him differently after that. He was more than a DJ. He was also a businessman. Couple that with a tight T-shirt and toolbelt and I was intrigued.”

Egypt and Mike's Wedding

After six years of dating, Egypt and Mike got married on September 11, 2010, at Westmount Country Club in New Jersey. The ceremony included a special role for Simone, Mike's daughter from a previous relationship, who was then 8 years old and had known Egypt for most of her life. “One of our favorite parts [of the wedding] was watching our daughter Simone walk down the aisle shouting, ‘The bride is coming, the bride is coming,’” Egypt said. “She was too big to be a flower girl, so we created a special role for her as the chime princess.” Grammy-nominated band SWV (Sisters With Voices) performed at their reception.

Egypt and Mike's Kids

Egypt and Mike are the proud parents of three girls: Simone (who graduated from Marist College with a degree in fashion and merchandising in 2024), Kendall (born in January 2012) and Harper (born in February 2019). Egypt faced life-threatening complications after delivering Harper by cesarean section; as she told Essence about the harrowing experience, “I give total glory to God on this one because He knew my heart, and He knew how badly I wanted another child.”

Egypt's Design Studio

Egypt is the CEO and qualifying broker of Indigo Road Realty, a residential real estate brokerage. She’s also the CEO of Indigo Road Design Group (her renovation and interior design team) and Indigo Road Home Furnishings, an online store featuring her furniture, decor and wallpaper. The Indigo Road brand now functions as a one-stop shop for Egypt and Mike’s clients in Atlanta and its suburbs. It’s able to serve their needs all the way from finding a house to transforming and outfitting it with everything it needs to become a home. “It's been a long time coming,” Egypt said.

“This was a vision we had for merging our companies for a few years. However, it never seemed to be the right time or circumstance to dissolve the old companies and rebrand," she continued. "[In 2024,] we were only a group of 15 between all divisions. Now, we are a small army of over 100 successful realtors, brilliant designers and construction teams. It's amazing to literally be in the culmination of years of prepping and hard work. And now, our home furnishing division is really getting its legs as well. So, the sky is the limit!”

Egypt's Book

Inspired by both the jitters she herself experienced purchasing her first home as well as the countless buyers she’s coached, Egypt spent 16 months writing her first book, Keep Calm … It’s Just Real Estate, a manual she jam-packed with hard-won real estate wisdom. That proved to be time and effort well spent: The book sold well and earned her a flurry of critical attention, including an NAACP Image Award nomination, a Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network Mission Award and Black Women in Media’s Pioneer Award.

Egypt's Wallpaper Line

In 2023, Egypt designed Indigo Road by Egypt Sherrod x NuWallpaper, a line of four peel-and-stick wallpaper designs featuring geometrical and botanical patterns — Cassava Palm, Bali Bamboo, Batik Block and Ridge & Valley — that are available in multiple colorways.

Fun Facts About Egypt

• Egypt's birthday is November 16, making her a Scorpio.

• Egypt’s well-known love for an over-the-top closet — her favorite room of the house — stems from the itty-bitty bedroom she had when she lived with her grandparents as a girl. “All that was in the room was a bed, that’s all that would fit in there,” she told Vibe. “I could open my arms and touch both walls. So my dream was always to have a closet bigger than a bedroom.”

• Egypt’s closet also serves as her retreat and … secret office? “I get things accomplished while I’m in there, where I can just be quiet,” she explained. “I wrote a lot of my [book] in my closet.”

• Egypt sang onstage with Prince at Madison Square Garden in 2010. No, seriously: When she was a broadcaster at New York City’s 107.5 WBLS, “I was talking [on the air] about how much I loved him and laughing about how I used to have his posters on my bedroom wall,” she explained on her website. “He was listening at the time, and without an appointment — not that he needed one — without provocation, he just showed up at the radio station. He said he was listening and wanted to meet me. Later, as we were talking, he dared me to sing on stage with him at Madison Square Garden.” Egypt took that dare, and after she watched Prince’s show from the side of the stage, he invited her up to sing a mashup of “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy” with him and Cyndi Lauper.

Where to Find Her

Keep up — or, you know, try to keep up — with Egypt on her socials: Instagram and Facebook.