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Hallmark Queen Lacey Chabert opened up on Live With Kelly & Ryan about her career and working with the feel-good network. Having starred in more than 30 Hallmark Channel movies, she has praised her “nome in Hallmark” in the wake of the Candace Cameron Bure controversy.
Hallmark Channel and Lacey Chabert
Speaking on Live With Kelly & Ryan on Friday, January 6, Lacey Chabert, 40, gushed about her career with the feel-good network, saying:
I never would have thought when I did the first one, which was called Elevator Girl, so many years ago that here I’d be finding such a home in Hallmark.
The Mean Girls and Party of Five alum also revealed why she thinks her sweet romance movies always bring joy to Hallmark viewers. “I think it’s the goodness [and] I think it’s the hopefulness more than ever,” Lacey said, adding, “We all just need a feel-good [movie].”
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Watch the interview with Lacey Chabert on Live With Kelly & Ryan here:
Lacey Chabert’s debut with Hallmark Channel
Chabert made her debut with Hallmark in 2010 with Elevator Girl, where she starred opposite Ryan Merriman. Since then, she has played the lead in more than 30 movies, including the iconic The Wedding Veil trilogy. In fact, a second trilogy of heartwarming romantic movies premiered on Saturday, January 7 with The Wedding Veil Expectations. Meanwhile, the other two movies, Inspiration and Journey, debut on January 14 and 21 respectively.
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Meanwhile, Lacey’s praise for the feel-good channel comes months after Candace Cameron Bure, 46, jumped ship from Hallmark to Great American Family. In a November 2022 interview with the Wall Street Journey, Bure infamously said:
My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them.
I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment. I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.
Meanwhile, the Full House alum’s comments quickly drew controversy, while seemingly excluding the LGBTQIA+ community from movies. In response to the criticism, Bure said, “All of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people,” adding:
It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone. It saddens me that the media is often seeking to divide us, even around a subject as comforting and merry as Christmas movies. But, given the toxic climate in our culture right now, I shouldn’t be surprised. We need Christmas more than ever.
Neal Bledsoe walks away from Great American Family
In the wake of the Bure controversy, Neal Bledsoe, 41, who had jumped ship from Hallmark for Great American Family, famously quit the new network.
Speaking to Variety in November last year, Bledsoe said, “I cannot take comfort from, nor will I give refuge to, those who excuse exclusion and promote division in any way, shape, or form.” adding:
Everyone is entitled to their beliefs, and these are mine: the recent comments made by leadership at Great American Family are hurtful, wrong, and reflect an ideology that prioritizes judgment over love. I could never forgive myself for continuing my relationship with a network that actively chooses to exclude the LGBTQIA+ community.
Led by former Hallmark boss, Bill Abbott, Great American family appears to focus only on creating romance movies with heterosexual couples. Meanwhile, in its 2022 Christmas movies, Hallmark Channel has been inclusive, sharing diverse romantic movies with other cultures, the LGBTQIA+ community, and more.
Readers can watch two more segments from Live With Kelly & Ryan where Lacey Chabert speaks about Party of Five and Mean Girls here: