Lacey Chabert and Candace Cameron Bure. Shutterstock (2)
Hallmark queen! Lacey Chabert has starred in more than 30 Hallmark Channel romances and has praised her “home” with the network after Candace Cameron Bure’s controversial departure from the network.
“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,” Chabert, 40, gushed during a Friday, January 6, appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan.
The Mean Girls star further opened up about why her sweet romance movies have consistently brought joy to movie viewers. “I think it’s the goodness [and] I think it’s the hopefulness more than ever,” Chabert said on Friday. “We all just need a feel-good [movie].”
Lacey Chabert on ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan.’ Courtesy of Live with Kelly and Ryan/YouTube
The Party of Five alum made her Hallmark debut in 2010 with Elevator Girl, in which she starred opposite Ryan Merriman. Chabert has gone on to lead more than 30 movies for the network, including The Wedding Veil Expectations, which premieres on Saturday, January 7. (The Wedding Veil Expectations serves as a sequel to her initial 2022 movie trilogy.)
Chabert’s sweet comments about the television network comes months after the Full House alum, 46, left Hallmark for Great American Family.
“My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them,” Cameron Bure told WSJ. Magazine in November 2022 of her move. “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.”
The Make It or Break It alum’s comments, seemingly excluding the LGBTQIA+ community, swiftly sparked backlash. “All of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people,” Cameron Bure later wrote via Instagram, addressing the scandal. “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.”
Following the drama, Hallmark and GAF stars alike have been vocal about their thoughts on the drama. Neal Bledsoe, for his part, even walked away from GAF as a result.
“I cannot take comfort from, nor will I give refuge to, those who excuse exclusion and promote division in any way, shape, or form,” Bledsoe, 41, told Variety in November 2022. “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.”
While GAF has focused solely on creating romance movies starring heterosexual couples, Hallmark’s 2022 Christmas movies included a more diverse crop of stories.
