Ben and Erin Napier, popular faces on HGTV, have announced they will not be leading the latest Home Town spin-off.

For the first time, the new season of Home Town Takeover will venture into Canada, marking a significant shift in the show’s location.

The Napiers clarified that due to stringent Canadian regulations, a new pair of hosts will take the reins of the series.

During a recent interview, Erin, 40, shared that she and her husband Ben, 42, are not “legally permitted” to host the show but will make appearances as guest stars instead.

Chatting with Cinemablend, Erin explained, “Our production company is Canadian, and they have a strong enthusiasm for this Canadian takeover.

However, because we’re Americans, we can’t legally host the show. We can only participate as guest stars.”

According to Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission rules, at least one of either the director or screenwriter positions and at least one of the two lead performers must be Canadian. 

Ben and Erin’s Home Town Takeover typically follows them and a team of HGTV renovators as they ‘revitalize a small town by renovating the homes of the town’s changemakers, businesses and community spaces.’

HGTV’s Ben and Erin Napier revealed a new presenting duo will front Home Town Takeover

The TV couple have been forced out of hosting the spin-off due to Canadian regulations 

Fans of the show were divided over the announcement on social media, with some arguing they shouldn’t have sought a Canadian production company.

Taking to Reddit to discuss the news, one wrote: ‘Maybe, just maybe, they should have used a US production company.’

Another pointed out: ‘Yep. Canada has a lot of work restrictions. If a Canadian citizen can do the job, they have to allow it over a visitor. It’s been that way for decades.’

However, a different user said: ‘Good. The faster they go away, the happier I’ll be.’

Earlier this year, the Napiers were left in a state of uncertainty after a massive blaze ripped through a hotel they had been helping to transform as part of one of their other new programs.

The couple had spent months helping their friends remodel the 30-room property, The Heirloom, in Mississippi, but disaster struck before they ever managed to welcome their first guests.

Adding to the heartache, the fire had come just days after she and Ben had confirmed an HGTV show would be documenting their work on the project.

Erin broke the news of the fire in a post shared to Instagram in which she said: ‘We held each other and watched while the brave fire fighters from the Laurel Fire Department worked for hours to get it under control. Today feels like a funeral.’

In a new interview, Erin said she and Ben are not allowed to host the program ‘because we are Americans’

The pair, who have been married since 2008, have hosted the franchise since its 2016 debut 

Following the incident, she cast doubt that the project would ever see the light of day.

‘I don’t know what will happen next or if you’ll ever get to see this HGTV show now,’ she said at the time.

‘I don’t know much of anything.’

But in a positive update, Ben confirmed earlier this month that the episodes will premiere in 2026.

‘The episodes are going to air,’ he told USA Today, adding that it would likely be some time later in the new year.

While an exact date has not yet been given, the Napiers will be kicking off the new year with a new series of Home Town.

Premiering on January 4, the couple will be back on television screens reviving outdated homes and historical locations in their small town of Laurel, Mississippi.