Why HGTV’s BUYING BACK THE BLOCK is Personal for Comedian Mike Epps

Published: November 9, 2023

Why HGTV’s BUYING BACK THE BLOCK is Personal for Comedian Mike Epps

By Movieguide® Contributor

HGTV’s BUYING BACK THE BLOCK follows comedian Mike Epps and his wife Kyra as they flip homes in Indianapolis.

“Indianapolis is home for me, and there’s nothing in the world like it. That’s why I’m buying back my block,” Epps said in a promotional video. The couple will be renovating houses from the neighborhood he grew up in.

“…we’re on a mission to renovate these houses one at a time…and to make sure people can afford them,” he explained.

“This is not just that we’re fixing the house and we want to sell it and flip some money,” Kyra added. “We would never come back to Indianapolis and do that. You’re going to see us really make decisions based off of [Mike’s] grandmother, and how much she poured into it.”

The show will feature six properties as the couple works to bring updated housing to the neighborhoods at an affordable price.

“We decided to go back home, to go back to Indy and put some love back into this block and build this community back up,” Kyra said. “They were already regentrifying the neighborhood. And we wanted to stay there. We don’t want to look like the ugly ducklings. We mean something. We’re important. We’ve been here for 60-plus years, and we’re going to stay here.”

Along with flipping these properties, the couple’s goal is to help residents understand what it means to own a home. They hope they can spark a movement that will be picked up and continued by the city and state governments.

“This was the initial start and the beginning of a bigger dream and a bigger goal,” Epps said. “In order for us to get that into play, we had to get the awareness out so that we can get assistance from the state of Indiana and the city of Indianapolis and get help.”

“Our idea can only grow so far financially; and, community-wise, it’s going to take the help of the mayor; it’s going to take the help of the city to do what we were doing now on a larger scale,” he continued.

They hope that projects like this can spread to multiple mid-sized cities, providing updated affordable housing for current residents of the community.

“We have a nice formula, and what we have right here will give us a start to do something on a larger scale for the community and for people,” he said.

Beyond housing, they believe their work will bring new life into the community. The couple bought an old nightclub to do just that.

“You’ll see on the show that we bought a club,” Kyra said. “We definitely want to bring entertainment back to Indy.”

“It’ll be slower entertainment, though,” Epps added.

BUYING BACK THE BLOCK airs on Nov. 8 at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on HGTV. It will be available to stream on Discovery+ and Max.

Movieguide® previously reported:

Comedian and actor Mike Epps takes on a new project in his HGTV show BUYING BACK THE BLOCK.

The star is on a mission to beautify his Indiana hometown on the show that will hit the network in November.

“The show will detail Epps and his wife, Kyra, as they provide renovations and interior design to the homes the comedian grew up around. Kyra is a self-proclaimed design enthusiast whose passion and keen eye turned an abandoned firehouse in the area into an abode fit for a successful couple,” a description of the show reads.

“It was about family and friends. It was about community. The memories were unforgettable,” Epps said in a promotional video. “After all the big movies, television, running around doing stand-up all over the world, Indy was calling… Me and my wife Kyra, we’re on a mission to renovate these houses one at a time…and to make sure people can afford them.”