Written by | Ray Cornelius
It’s very rare that you find someone within the entertainment industry that acts the same off camera as they do on. Generally, they’re really full of themselves or they just don’t live up to the hype, but every now and again, you meet a star that is everything you’d thought they would be and more. In this case that one is Egypt Sherrod, the amazingly beautiful host of HGTV’s Property Virgins and the new mid-day radio host for Atlanta’s big station, V-103. Not only is she an exception to the rule but Sherrod makes you feel like the VIP.
RC had a chance to chat with Sherrod about her popular television show as well as her foundation, staying consistent and what it was like interviewing her two idols.
RC: You’re a radio personality, television host, a wife and mother, how do you balance it all?
ES: With a good multi-vitamin, a lot of water, a supportive family and a lot of prayer (LOL), and that’s the honest to God’s truth. You know someone told me a long time ago, “Do you feel when you wake up in the morning you are living up to your purpose? And if you do, then it will all come together. But if you don’t, if you feel compromised and that you have to drag yourself to work every day, then you’re in the wrong business. You need to find out what your purpose is quick fast and in a hurry.” I think that because I am doing the jobs I would do even if I weren’t getting paid, I constantly feel energized.
RC: You recently relocated here to Atlanta from New York City. What’s the biggest difference so far?
ES: Well, I always say that when I hit Atlanta what I noticed almost immediately is that people smile and are a lot nicer. The tea is sweeter and you get bigger portions of food. Atlanta’s a big city, buzzing and energetic. The people are enthusiastic and they’re involved politically. I feel like many of the residences have found that work/life balance. For me it’s not about which city is better than the other. My choice to move from New York City, which was incredibly rewarding for me and to me, but it was time to close that chapter and begin a new one.
RC: How much of what we see on Property Virgins is real?
ES: First of all, I am a real estate agent. I am not acting and that’s something important for everyone to know. I have been a licensed real estate agent in New Jersey for eight years and I’m a new agent to the city of Atlanta. Real Estate is embedded in me the same way radio and television is. I grew up with my uncle and father being real estate brokers. So this is not fake for me, it’s just another side of me that people didn’t get a chance to see when they hear me on the radio where it’s all about music, entertainment and lifestyle.
RC: Let’s talk about your foundation…
ES: Yes, the Egypt Cares Family Foundation, where we believe that family is the foundation. We also try to provide the tools to make the family unit strong from the ground up. I am very much about financial empowerment too. Without financial knowledge, where do you put your money? How do you invest in college? How do you buy your first house? How do you make sure your credit is right? So for me that is a message that through and through I try to reinforce in the foundation, as well as television and radio.
RC: How do you stay consistent in an industry that is always inconsistent?
ES: I think I’m probably just like many who became disenfranchised with the business, disenchanted, jaded and started to hate it for a while. So I took a break from it for two years because it was not authentic and then I realized that just because I work around people who are not centered and not grounded doesn’t mean that I don’t have to be in order to do what I love. So I came back doing what it is that I love 200 % me. I think prayer, meditation, friends and constantly staying in touch with your core values, keeps you there.
RC: Let’s switch gears and talk about your radio career. Who has been your toughest interview?
ES: Toughest but fun at the very same time was Prince, because he’s known for answering everything with maybe just a grin and one worders. At the same time, he was the love of my life ever since I was a child (LOL). I used to have a Prince poster on my ceiling and would bounce on the bed and try to kiss the ceiling because I loved him so much. That was probably the toughest…to keep it all together and at the same time be myself.
RC: So who would you still like to interview?
ES: I always said Oprah Winfrey but I had that opportunity two years ago by surprise and I wasn’t ready. I was in Toronto, Canada at a film festival when they released the film “Precious.” No one knew Oprah was coming to Toronto and no one knew she was going to do press because she never does press. So, I’m interviewing Tyler Perry, Mariah and everyone else and in walks my idol, Oprah Winfrey, the master interviewer.
She says, “Hey everybody” and mouths hit the floor and then she is like so who’s going to do my interview? And they are like, “Egypt is doing interviews.” Mind you, I’m still standing there frozen and thinking, “Are you guys freakin kidding me? Where is Ashton Kutcher and the Punk’d cameras?” So, we sat down and she complimented me on my shoes. She gave me a big hug. I did the interview. Till this day, I still can’t tell you what I said or what I asked. Everybody else said, “Oh you did a great interview.” And she gave me a hug and said, “Fabulous job!” But I did not know what I asked because I was not on this planet (LOL). That was my idol. I’ve followed her ever since I was a child. Not that I wanted to be the next Oprah, because I only wanted to be Egypt, but how she has maintained her integrity and dignity over the years is simply amazing. But I still want a do over (LOL)!
Catch Egypt Sherrod every Tuesday evening at 9pm on HGTV’s Property Virgins.
