NASHVILLE, TN — Mike Epps has attained prominence as a comedian and actor, and has also periodically contributed to many philanthropic enterprises. Now his latest mission is very close to home. The native of Indianapolis plans to revitalize his childhood street. His efforts will be chronicled on HGTV‘s “Buying Back the Block.” Epps and his wife and design enthusiast Kyra Epps have begun to revitalize the area. They previously transformed an abandoned firehouse into their stunning new family home. The series highlights a pair of major renovation projects over a 12-week period. In each episode, they update a house by adding modern amenities but still keeping the original charm in an effort to restore a sense of community.
Epps isn’t just paying for the project. He’s directly involved in supervising the process. One of the things he’s doing includes overhauling his grandmother’s house. His visions come to life with the help of both his wife and a skilled construction team. Epps and HGTV both recently announced the new limited series with posts on Instagram. The post featured a trailer showing the actor rolling through his old neighborhood.
“@Therealmikeepps and @kyraepps are headed to HGTV on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 9 and 10 a.m. (ET) in the all-new #BuyingBackTheBlock! Watch along as the duo set out to bring the charm, community, and character back to Mike’s childhood block in #Indianapolis!” the post’s caption read. While showing scenes of the standup comedian’s old stomping blocks, Epps voices why these renovations are so significant to him. “Indianapolis is home to me and there’s nothing in the world like it. That’s why I’m buying back my block,” he said in the clip.
Various aerial shots show “six homes that we actually got evicted from,” per Epps, who said that after all his success, “Indy was calling.” Epps currently starring in “The Upshaws.” He said his goal is to renovate the rundown and forgotten houses “one at a time” and “make sure people can afford them.”
“I’m very practical and realistic and Mike sometimes has this whimsical way of thinking, so we kind of bring it together and it works,” Kyra Epps added.
“Buying Back the Block” premieres on HGTV Wednesday Nov. 8 at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Central. A trailer of the series is available online at both the Shadow and Act and HGTV websites.
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