The Hallmark Channel prides itself on being a cheerful,
family-friendly space free of the drama that stems from more colorful networks.
But not everything is as squeaky-clean as it might seem on the surface. From dramatic
lawsuits to the fight for diversity, these are the biggest scandals to hit the Hallmark Channel.
In 2019, actor Lori Loughlin's Hallmark career
came to a full stop in the wake of a massive college admissions scandal known as "Operation
Varsity Blues." Loughlin and her husband, clothing designer Mossimo Giannulli, were accused of paying
roughly $500,000 in bribes so their two daughters could be falsely categorized as crew recruits for
the University of Southern California, with the ultimate goal of being admitted into the college.
The couple pleaded not guilty, and Loughlin posted a $1 million bond that March.
"So many parents watching, I'm sure,
are going through this where they're about to watch a child go off to college…"
"I think I'm in complete denial."
According to The New York Times, Hallmark parent company Crown Media issued a statement
announcing that it would no longer work with Loughlin, who was starring in its hit series
"When Calls the Heart." According to Entertainment Weekly, she was subsequently written out of the
series — and even edited out of Season 6 episodes that had already been filmed.
Loughlin was later sentenced to two months in federal prison and was released in December 2020,
with rumors of a return to "When Calls the Heart" cropping up, months later.
"Home & Family" host Mark
Steines was terminated by the Hallmark Channel in May 2018,
but he claimed he was fired after speaking out in support of two female producers
who'd accused executive producer Woody Fraser of harassment. According to The Hollywood Reporter,
Steines claimed that he reported Fraser's alleged verbal abuse and harassment, saying,
"[He created a] vulgar, demeaning, and hostile work environment, especially for the women."
Steines then claimed that Hallmark did nothing, except cut ties with him. That September,
he filed a lawsuit against Crown Media for retaliation and wrongful discharge.
Hallmark issued a statement that read:
"[It was] a measured, strategic and difficult decision for Crown Media to make,
[but it] was necessary given that the ratings for the show had declined."
"When I started in this business, I was a cameraman working in local news, and I was
taught a very valuable lesson. And that is; if it didn't happen on camera, it didn't happen."
According to THR, the former host alleged that the company had reduced his salary and limited
his role at the network. In December 2018, Crown Media's motion to dismiss the case was denied by a
federal judge. But by January 2020, the case was settled and mutually dismissed by both parties.
Mark Steines isn't the
only "Home & Family" star who allegedly suffered the wrath of the network.
Chef Shanti Hinojos also filed a wrongful termination and harassment suit against
Crown Media, claiming she was fired from the show in December 2017 by
allies of executive producer Woody Fraser. According to Variety, the suit alleged:
"Fraser would touch [Shanti's] waist, rub her shoulders, and brush up against her legs
and buttocks. On several occasions, she says Fraser pinned her against the kitchen counter,
and once tried to move cake from his mouth into hers."
Hinojos even claimed that Fraser told her she was going to be his, quote, "next wife" after
his wife died of cancer. When Hinojos brought up Fraser's actions to colleagues, they supposedly
warned her to keep quiet. Crown Media issued a statement about the scandal, which read:
"Hinojos was terminated for performance issues. […] We
have investigated and there is no merit to her allegations."
Variety reported that Fraser was fired before Hinojos was let go,
but the chef alleged that Fraser stuck around, and so did the issues.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault,
help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest
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The Hallmark Channel has been called out more
than once for its lack of diversity, particularly in leading roles. According to Global News,
an extra on "A Christmas Carousel" claimed the company refused to portray interracial couples.
Background actor Lesley Horat was allegedly removed from a scene which involved
extras coupling up while watching the lighting of a Christmas tree.
Two other sources allegedly witnessed a casting wrangler telling Horat,
"[Hallmark] has this policy against interracial couple representation in our productions."
Crown Media denied the accusations, insisting it does not have any such policy,
and pledging to investigate the claim. But anonymous sources told Global News,
"It's just common knowledge that Hallmark expects people of the same ethnicities to be coupled.
We all are scared to rock the boat on this issue because
there are so many productions that are happening."
The Hallmark Channel is truly a
well-oiled machine. But there are concerns about the way the system works. According to the IBT,
"By the end of 2017, Hallmark will have premiered a combined 86 new movies on two of its networks,
Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries — the highest total ever. Only
six of those movies had non-white romantic leads. […] When it comes to African American
and Asian romantic leads in 2017 Hallmark movies, the number is zero."
Actors included among those six projects were Catherine Ball, who is half Iranian;
Julie Gonazalo, who is from Argentina; and married Hispanic stars Carlos and Alexa PenaVega.
Bill Abbott, president and CEO of Crown Media, promised that Hallmark intended to show change
both onscreen and behind-the-scenes. One of Hallmark's first moves toward diversity came in
2018 with "Christmas Everlasting," which featured black romantic leads and a largely black cast.
"Oh my Christmas, look who's here!"
Meanwhile, according to E!, the 2020 holiday season saw multiple
Hallmark movies portray interracial couples.
Considering the reports about
Hallmark's lack of diversity, Times-Standard editor Ruth Scheider reached out directly to
the network in 2017 to question why there were no same-sex couples depicted in its Christmas movies.
Pam Slay, senior executive for Crown Media responded, saying,
"There are no forced values associated with our networks with the exception
that we want to provide a quality viewing experience for every member
of the family. […] We are not an issues-oriented network:
our goal is for every viewer who comes to us to feel happier and better because they watched."
Slay also noted that the network had already employed LGBTQ+ actors in Christmas movie roles.
But adding to the image problem, some of Hallmark's most popular stars,
like Candace Cameron Bure, had previously come under fire for expressing anti-LGBTQ+
views. The actor was blasted in 2015 for siding with Christian bakers who refused
to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. She also took some heat in 2017 for wearing a
"Not Today Satan" t-shirt. According to People, that phrase was made popular by
Bianca Del Rio — Season 6 winner of "RuPaul's Drag Race." Needless to say, Del Rio wasn't pleased,
prompting a cyber army of critics to attack Bure. The actor then responded via Instagram,
"I’m not homophobic. […] You sent a bunch of hateful people to my page
writing horrible things. I hope next time you’ll spread love and kindness,
even when you disagree with people. Sending you love and wish you all the best. Truly."
In another lawsuit filed against Crown Media,
former "Home & Family" director Robert Levy claimed he was wrongfully terminated because of
his age. In December of 2015, the then-64-year-old filed a suit alleging wrongful termination,
age discrimination, and more. And a familiar name was involved in the legal matter:
Woody Fraser, who was Levy's boss at the time. According to Patch,
Levy's suit claimed Fraser "harassed" him because of his age. According to the suit,
Levy believed he was replaced by someone who was younger, with inferior qualifications.
But Levy isn't the only one fueling talk about ageism drama within the network.
Cristina Ferrare, a former host for Hallmark's "Home & Family,"
said she was let go at age 66. In a post on Facebook, she claimed,
"I was replaced with no other explanation other than I was too old and the powers
[that] be at Hallmark wanted to take the show in another direction."
Ferrare further alleged that she and fellow co-host Mark Steines were not
even given a chance to say goodbye before they were kicked out the door.
The Hallmark Channel routinely
finds itself embroiled in political debates about the values it depicts. Pointing to standards
typically associated with more conservative beliefs, the Los Angeles Times reported in 2017,
"Red states love it. […] Though the channel's programming is politically agnostic,
if you highlighted its strongholds in red on a map, it would look
a lot like the electoral college results in the 2016 election."
The network has never outwardly expressed a partisan position,
but that hasn't shielded it from the fray. A 2017 opinion piece in Slate made these accusations:
"[The films] brim with white heterosexuals who exclusively,
emphatically, and endlessly bellow 'Merry Christmas' to every lumberjack and labradoodle
they pass. […] There are occasional sightings of Christmas sweater–wearing black people,
but they exist only to cheer on the dreams of the white leads."
"Maybe this wasn't what he thought it would be."
"No, it's, um, it's worse than that."
The Washington Post suggested that the Hallmark Channel was, quote,
"booming in the age of Trump," but regardless of any media bias,
there's no denying it was a hit with fans. According to the outlet,
"More than 85 million people watched one of [Hallmark's]
channels during November and December [2016]."
Actor Hilarie Burton,
who appeared in several Hallmark Channel movies in the 2010s, jumped on Twitter to reveal that
she quit the network after her requests for a more inclusive cast was denied. She posted,
"Just going through some old emails from a Hallmark job I was
'let go' from back in January. I had insisted on a LGBTQ character,
an interracial couple and diverse casting. […] But after the execs gave their notes on the script and
NONE of my requests were honored, I was told 'take it or leave it.' I left it. And the paycheck."
The former "One Tree Hill" star further alleged that the entire
Hallmark culture is riddled with bigotry that stems from the top brass. She added,
"I've been loudly cheering for [Lifetime] all year because they
heard my concerns + RALLIED! You want inclusive Christmas magic?! We got it. Love is love."
"Faith is a wild card. You never know who to expect."
"But she always wins, so…"
The actor went on to state that the only reason she was able to
walk away from Hallmark was because her husband,
Walking Dead actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, was supporting their family. She said,
"[He] works his a-- off so I have the luxury to choose morals over paying bills."
A rep for the channel responded to Burton's claims, telling Fox News,
"Hilarie Burton was not an employee of Crown Media Family Networks."
In 2019, six ads from
the wedding planning site Zola appeared on the Hallmark Channel, featuring a same-sex
couple doing normal wedding-related things like kissing at the altar.
The ads quickly caught the attention of the conservative group, One Million Moms, which
mounted enough pressure that Hallmark removed them. A senior VP for Hallmark stated to the AP,
"The debate surrounding these commercials on all sides was distracting from the purpose of our
network, which is to provide entertainment value. The Hallmark brand is never going to be divisive."
But the removal of the ads turned out to be even more divisive.
Stars like Ellen DeGeneres and "Queer Eye's" Antoni Porowski blasted the decision,
which left Hallmark facing a boycott. Two days after the ads were pulled, the network reversed
course and Hallmark CEO Mike Perry issued a public apology, saying via The New York Times,
"Our mission is rooted in helping all people connect,
celebrate traditions and be inspired to capture meaningful moments in their lives.
Anything that detracts from this purpose is not who we are."
"I think I may have a solution."
Hallmark then committed to work with media representation organization,
GLAAD, but the drama certainly wasn't over.
A little over a month after the Zola backlash,
Hallmark Channel CEO Bill Abbott resigned in January 2020. And one thing we know for sure
is that Abbott's resignation wasn't performance related. During his 11-year tenure, the network
saw exponential growth in both viewership and ad revenue, and launched a second channel, Hallmark
Movies & Mysteries, as well as a subscription streaming service, Hallmark Movies Now.
In December 2019, the channel's primetime holiday movies averaged 1.7 million viewers.
No specific reason was given for Abbott's departure, but the timing doesn't require too
much effort in connecting the dots. Seven months later, Former TV One CEO, Wonya Lucas, was chosen
as Abbott's replacement. And 2020 saw Hallmark premiere two movies centered on same-sex couples,
"Wedding Every Weekend" and "The Christmas House." Hallmark CEO Mike Perry said in a statement,
"Wonya is a brand builder at her core who shares Hallmark's beliefs and values.
She has a deep understanding of the role our brand plays in fulfilling a bigger purpose
in people's lives. […] Our holiday table is bigger and more welcoming than ever."
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