HGTV’s Keith Bynum Reflects on Family Loss Following ‘Bargain Block’s End

In the wake of Bargain Block‘s end on HGTV, Keith Bynum opened up about the late family member who serves as his inspiration.

“Circa 2005 i miss my mama sometimes. She was a hard person to love but I did,” Bynum captioned a throwback family photo via his Instagram Story on Thursday, September 11. “My parents built the fireplace we’re on here, they built the mantel, they hung the wall paper. They loved building. She’d love the houses in Detroit. She is why I love junk and redoing old things into pretty things.”

In the photo, Keith sported a blue striped shirt while posing with his parents, LaQuita and Howard Bynum, and his sister, Joni Bynum. “I’m glad I have my dad and sister but I miss her,” Keith added.

According to an online obituary, Keith’s mother died at the age of 63 in June 2022. She worked as a teacher in Texas for 27 years until her retirement. In addition to her children and husband, LaQuita is also survived by Joni’s daughter, Joli Vaughn.

Courtesy of Keith Bynum/Instagram

Keith previously opened up about his relationship with his family in an HGTV Pride Month video in 2021. “I would look at [my partner] Evan’s family to kind of find, like, some normalcy, some calmness, and just some love, because my family, it did not go well when I came out,” he revealed. “They have essentially disowned me. I just kept working, and Evan kept helping, have me focus on what we love doing. And it got to a point now where I realize it’s their loss and it’s not gonna hold me back from having a fabulous life and being who I am.”

Shortly before his mother’s death, Keith revealed that the two had begun to make amends. “It’s never too late to start again. #lovemymama,” he captioned a May 2022 Instagram photo of himself holding LaQuita’s hand as she laid in bed.

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Fans were happy to see that Keith and his mother had reconciled. “Your family are the lucky ones! Never too late to love,” one Instagram user commented underneath the post. “Awwww Keith…. I am sooo happy that you were able to reconcile with your Mom before her death.. if not for you, but for her sake,” another fan wrote. “I know how much she loved you, and how much she must be proud of you. She loves you.”

LaQuita died one year after Keith and Evan Thomas launched their HGTV home renovation series, Bargain Block. The show — which concluded its four-season run on Wednesday, September 10 — is one of several recent HGTV cancellations, including Married to Real Estate, Izzy Does It, Farmhouse Fixer, Battle on the Beach, Christina on the Coast, and The Flipping El Moussas.

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Keith commemorated the show’s conclusion in a Friday Instagram post, writing, “It’s sometimes surreal to look back on that time, everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve accomplished, everything that has changed in our lives and in our business, with a lot of it captured for television. …. And now, that chapter has ended.”

Teasing what’s next for himself and Thomas, he added, “We are working with some amazing clients on some fun projects, and we can’t wait to show you! Whether those will just be on social media, or some other media….stay tuned 😉.”