Keith Bynum has become a household name thanks to his fearless creativity, offbeat charm, and deep dedication to restoring beauty in forgotten places. As one half of HGTV’s beloved Bargain Block duo alongside his partner Evan Thomas, Keith captivated audiences with his passion for turning crumbling Detroit houses into vibrant, livable works of art. Viewers were drawn not just to his bold designs, but to the infectious joy and sincerity he brought to every project.
Yet behind the color-splashed walls and whimsical staging was a man carrying quiet pain—grief that ran far deeper than the television cameras ever caught. Over the past year, Keith has stepped back from HGTV after Bargain Block’s cancellation, and in this period of reflection, he’s revealed a more vulnerable side of himself.
Moving on from the fast pace of reality TV, he has embraced a more private life with Evan in Detroit, continuing small-scale renovations, selling art, and traveling for design inspiration. But in the midst of this new chapter, Keith recently opened up about something raw and deeply personal: the complicated love and lingering loss of his late mother.
In a deeply emotional social media post, Keith shared an old family photo from around 2005. The image shows him standing with his parents and sister in front of a fireplace they built together, a moment frozen from a time long before fame. What caught fans off guard was not just the nostalgic snapshot, but the caption that accompanied it—a heartbreaking confession from a son still grieving and still healing.
“Circa 2005 I miss my mama sometimes,” Keith wrote. “She was a hard person to love but I did. My parents built the fireplace we’re on here, they built the mantel, they hung the wallpaper. They loved building. She’d love the houses in Detroit. She is why I love junk and redoing old things into pretty things. I’m glad I have my dad and sister but I miss her.”
Those words carried an emotional weight that stunned many longtime fans who had never heard Keith speak so openly about his mother. The truth, as Keith has slowly begun to reveal, is that his relationship with her was complicated and often painful.
After coming out as gay, Keith faced rejection from much of his family, especially his mother, LaQuita Jolene Bynum. He has said in past interviews that she once gave him an ultimatum—either his family or his partner—a wound that left him feeling abandoned and forced to build his life without their support.
For years, Keith and his mother had little to no contact. He poured himself into his work in Detroit, driven to prove himself but quietly yearning for her acceptance. That emotional fracture made the news of her brain cancer diagnosis in 2022 even more shattering. Confronted with the reality of losing her forever, Keith decided to let go of old hurt and reconnect before it was too late.
They reunited during her final months, and Keith was there when she passed away on June 10, 2022, at just 63 years old. He has spoken about how their reconciliation brought a sense of peace, even though it came so late. He shared a photo of them holding hands, writing, “It’s never too late to start again,” signaling that they had finally found forgiveness in the face of goodbye.
In the time since, Keith has carried her memory like a quiet heartbeat behind everything he creates. His post about her was more than nostalgia—it was an unfiltered glimpse into the emotional foundation beneath his artistry. While his mom never saw the homes he transformed on Bargain Block, he believes she would have loved them. The passion for reviving what’s broken, for breathing life back into forgotten spaces, is something he inherited from her.
