Can you think of a more family-friendly channel than the Hallmark Channel? From Christmas movies with plots sweeter than a hot cocoa with extra marshmallows to talk shows like "Home and Family", Hallmark has been a longtime staple for those who desire wholesome entertainment. However, as we've recently found out, this sentiment doesn't extend to Hallmark's off screen identity. With controversies surrounding representation, sexual harassment allegations, and racism, the channel has repeatedly found itself in hot water over the past number of years. We're here to take a deep dive into the shady side of the Hallmark Channel.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00How can the Hallmark Channel have a dark side? Family-friendly content,
00:04Christmas trees and cookies, picture-perfect romances — what's not to love?
00:10Well, how about controversies surrounding representation,
00:14sexual harassment allegations, and racism? Let's take a deep dive into the shady side
00:19of the Hallmark Channel. Between When Calls the Heart, the Garage Sale Mysteries movies,
00:25and numerous Christmas films throughout the years, Lori Loughlin was synonymous with the
00:29Hallmark Channel. Well, until 2019, that is. In March of that year, the Fuller House star was
00:35charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud for her involvement
00:41in the college cheating scandal. Loughlin, and other A-list stars like Felicity Huffman,
00:46paid bribes to guarantee their children's admission to top universities. According to NPR,
00:52Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli eventually pled guilty in August 2020.
00:57She was sentenced to two months in prison, two years of supervised release, a $150,000 fine,
01:04and 100 hours of community service. That wasn't her only loss, though. The Hallmark Channel reacted
01:10swiftly to the controversy, with parent company Crown Media Family Network issuing the following
01:16statement after the news broke,
01:18We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin and have stopped development of all productions
01:23featuring Lori." And as of this video, they've stuck to their word. Although Loughlin reprised
01:28her role of Abigail Stanton in 2021's When Hope Calls, based on Hallmark's When Calls the Heart,
01:35the series aired on GAC Family. In fact, Hallmark bore down on their previous stance,
01:40telling Showbiz Cheat Sheet that year,
01:43We do not have any plans to cast her in the future."
01:46Although they weren't responsible for her actions, it certainly wasn't the best look.
01:51The world was shocked when Hallmark announced Home and Family co-host Mark Steinis was leaving
01:56the show in May 2018. Even worse, as Deadline reported, his exit wasn't as simple as the
02:03channel made it out to be. In September of the same year, Steinis sued the network for
02:08wrongful termination, alleging he was fired for standing behind two female staffers who reported
02:14executive producer Woody Frazier for sexual harassment. After Steinis took his concerns
02:19to higher-ups, his work experience allegedly changed quite drastically. The suit claimed,
02:26Everything changed, with the network taking away his voiceover work,
02:30diminishing his role on the network, reducing his profile at industry events,
02:34cutting his salary by 25 percent, and ultimately firing him months before the end of his contract.
02:40Hallmark's parent company, Crown Media, responded in a statement,
02:44claiming the decision was ratings-based and saying Steinis' allegations held no merit.
02:50Crown Media later tried to get the case thrown out, but the motion was denied.
02:54In 2020, the case was dismissed after both parties settled out of court.
02:59But this wasn't the first time that Home and Family was sued for wrongful termination.
03:04According to Patch, 64-year-old director Robert Levy alleged that Frazier harassed and fired him
03:10due to his age in 2015, and it wouldn't be the last time either.
03:15Per Deadline, celebrity chef Shanti Inohas, who also appeared on the show,
03:20sued Hallmark parent company Crown Media and creator Woody Frazier for sexual harassment
03:25and wrongful termination. The Hallmark Channel has always touted its policy of family values
03:32when it comes to its programming. However, its vague language came under fire in 2017,
03:38amidst wider conversations in the entertainment industry about diversity and inclusion.
03:43While the rest of the industry was catching up with Oscar So White,
03:47International Business Times noted that, at the time, the Hallmark Channel had premiered
03:51a record 86 films between its various networks, and only six of them starred non-white romantic
03:58leads. And on top of that, none of the films included Black or Asian romantic leads.
04:03The company's then-president and CEO Bill Abbott dodged blame for lack of diversity,
04:09telling the outlet,
04:10"'It's an industry-wide problem. Others have made a little more progress than we have made,
04:15granted, but at the same time, we have a great track record of doing the right thing.'"
04:20"'It's not that simple.'"
04:21"'Could be.'"
04:22Regarding LGBTQ inclusion, Hallmark employs gay people.
04:26They have a line of LGBTQ greeting cards, and they even included a queer couple in
04:31an advertisement for their brick-and-mortar stores in 2016. But when it came to actual
04:36LGBTQ inclusion in their holiday films, the company certainly seemed to drag its feet.
04:42After a noticeable lack of queer characters in its programming,
04:46the company was asked about their inclusivity by Time Standard in 2017.
04:50Their reasoning at the time was less than sufficient.
04:53Former senior vice president of publicity Pam Slay told the outlet,
04:57"'There are no forced values associated with our networks, with the exception that we want
05:02to provide a quality viewing experience for every member of the family. We are not an
05:08issues-oriented network. Our goal is for every viewer who comes to us to feel happier and better
05:14because they watched.'"
05:15The answer sounded to many like a roundabout way of the network refusing to be inclusive
05:20of queer stories, especially considering that they already had a longstanding history of
05:26recruiting LGBTQ actors to play straight characters. Fast forward a few years,
05:31and the network has certainly changed its ways. In 2020, they premiered The Christmas House,
05:37starring real-life husbands Jonathan Bennett and Brad Harter,
05:40which marked the first openly gay couple in a Hallmark film.
05:44It was a landmark moment for representation for sure, but there was one more scandal that had
05:49to happen before Hallmark took the plunge. Hallmark was forced to seriously re-evaluate
05:54its brand in December 2019 after Zola, a wedding planning website,
05:59removed its advertisements from the channel. Why? Because, according to CNBC,
06:04Hallmark removed four commercials which featured two women kissing each other.
06:09The network made the decision after a right-leaning organization,
06:12One Million Moms, launched a boycott against the station for airing the ads in the first place.
06:18After that initial decision, a lot of things happened at once. According to CNBC, Hallmark
06:24purported that it pulled the ad because the two brides kissing violated its policies.
06:29However, Zola commercials featuring heterosexual couples kissing were left on air,
06:34so that reasoning definitely doesn't hold up. In response to what appeared to be a homophobic and
06:39hypocritical decision, boycott Hallmark went viral. Hallmark quickly reversed the decision
06:45and released a statement on Twitter admitting that it was the wrong call, saying,
06:49We are working with GLAAD to better represent the LGBTQ community across our portfolio,
06:54and we'll be reaching out to Zola to reinstate the commercials.
06:58The changes went higher up the ladder as well. In January 2020, long-time president and CEO
07:04Bill Abbott left the company and was replaced by Wanya Lucas, who would later tout new diversity
07:10benchmarks in a 2021 press tour. She stated,
07:14We are really seeking to make sure that everyone can see themselves in our movies.
07:19All right, let's go then.
07:21Former CEO and president Bill Abbott left the Hallmark Channel in January 2020 after
07:26controversy surrounding its handling of the commercial, only to take a position
07:30running its competition, television brand Great American Country. According to Bloomberg,
07:36Abbott was tapped to run the network after Hicks Equity Partners,
07:40a firm that was linked to the Republican National Committee.
07:43Also, the Trumps acquired GAC from Discovery, Inc. for a cool $90 million. The channel rebranded to
07:50GAC Family rather than its former focus as a country music network, and they quickly got
07:55into the original Christmas movie business. While the company has not come out against
07:59queer storytelling, its website boasts its mission, which reads,
08:03"...to celebrate great American traditions and invest in timeless,
08:07family-friendly entertainment that honors Americana."
08:11Its 2021 holiday film lineup was noticeably devoid of any LGBTQ romantic leads. Although
08:17some familiar Hallmark Channel faces have already made an appearance in GAC Family films,
08:22they're watching the new company's politics closely. Actor Paul Campbell,
08:26who's starred in Hallmark flicks like A Godwink Christmas and The Santa Steakout,
08:31wrote on Twitter,
08:32"...I, like everyone else, will be keeping a close eye on the GAC content rollout.
08:37If there's a noticeable lack of meaningful inclusion, then no,
08:41I will not be working for that company."
08:44Hallmark aims to entertain and not offend, though the lengths it takes to guarantee that its content
08:49does not alienate families has garnered a fair share of criticism. While its original programming
08:55fits its protocols to a T, the channel also airs a handful of syndicated sitcom classics like
09:01Golden Girls, Reba, and Frasier, which don't always live up to the network's squeaky clean
09:06standards.
09:07"...I guess I have problems with men. No matter what they say,
09:11all they really seem to want is sex."
09:18In 2011, defunct news site The Sop pointed out that the channel was censoring words like
09:23ass and hooker during reruns of Frasier and Golden Girls. This was despite the fact that
09:28the show's original dialogue had been allowed on television. The network told The Sop that
09:33the censorship occurred because Hallmark's standard and practices are very conservative, adding,
09:39"...there are words and phrases commonly used on other cable channels
09:43that the network deem unacceptable."
09:45Considering both sitcoms were known and beloved for their characters' often
09:50promiscuous conversations and situations, it seemed a bit like overkill to many.
09:55According to The Inquisitor, the network's standards and practices department got the
09:59channel in hot water again in 2014 when they muted the word God while showing the 1994 film
10:06It Could Happen to You. The censorship was misread by viewers as a way of removing
10:10God from its content and the network was forced to issue a statement.
10:14According to Christian Today, Hallmark argued that they thought they were doing the right
10:18thing in muting the word, saying,
10:20"...the word God was omitted as staying on the side of caution to not offend,
10:25as our standard and practices department categorized it as God was being used in vain."
10:30"...you're sure?"
10:31"...positive."
10:33For the most part, viewers know what to expect when they pop on a Hallmark Christmas film.
10:37There's warm fireside chats, a slightly overbearing if not entirely lovable family,
10:43and a homespun romance that affirms love in a small town is better than whatever awaits in the city.
10:49The network knows what its audience is looking for,
10:51but that doesn't mean their go-to tropes aren't entirely problematic.
10:55As The Signal pointed out in 2020,
10:58"...no one actually believes in the lessons from Hallmark movies.
11:01It's all for the meme or for something quaint to enjoy."
11:04While these justifications might be true, there are some heavily infused themes from these movies
11:09that represent darker aspects of our culture that we can't help but fall back on
11:14as classic archetypes with complacency and comfort.
11:17Although Christmas has become a commercial holiday,
11:20the outlet argues that Hallmark films seem to be against the rise of industrialization.
11:25While Hallmark may be trying to uphold a positive view of family life and values,
11:30many storylines often revolve around homecoming and seem to be opposed to embracing other forms
11:36of lifestyle. There are central themes of their films that seem to discourage women from, quote,
11:41"...entering the workforce."
11:42Instead, they are often encouraged to give up big jobs,
11:45stay in their hometown near familiar faces, and raise a family.
11:49The outlet concludes,
11:50"...we also need to recognize and support a healthier work-life balance, too.
11:55Hallmark movies can promote this mindset of stepping back and valuing family,
11:59but careers drive our communities, too."
12:02It should also go without saying that the channel's depiction of the holidays are
12:06completely unrealistic. The decadent trees, perfect cookie platters, and romantic get-togethers set
12:12a standard no one can live up to. As the outlet also wrote,
12:15"...the holidays are stressful enough."
12:18If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the
12:23Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE,
12:314673.