Hallmark Channel Faces Backlash for Ageist Lawsuit
Lacy Chabert is not the “mean girl” in this one! The Hallmark Channel has recently drawn flak because of the report the channel is not keen on casting “old people.”
Is Hallmark Channel Ageist?
The Hallmark Channel produces and broadcasts family-oriented programs, so being embroiled in an age discrimination lawsuit does not bode well for the channel that’s supposed to bring in holiday cheer in the form of made-for-TV movies come Christmas season.
As reported by Variety, a lawsuit has been filed against the channel’s VP of Programming, Lisa Hamilton Daly. According to the lawsuit, Daly specifically mentioned Holly Robinson Peete and Lacy Chabert as “old talent” that needed to be “replaced.” Peete who is 60, starred in four Hallmark channel’s Christmas in Evergreen movies, while 42-year-old Chabert is the lead in the upcoming The Christmas Quest.
Out With The “Old”
Penny Perry, a 79-year-old casting director with the company for 9 years, filed the lawsuit after being fired. AP News obtained a snippet of the complaint, “Hallmark’s happy endings are stories made for TV only. In Ms. Perry’s case, there was no happy ending, and no feel-good episode to wrap up her career with Hallmark. Instead, her finale episode was marred by ageist and ableist harassment, and a callous termination which robbed her of her illustrious career, her pride, and her well-being.”
The Bias Goes Further: Ableism Joins Ageism
Aside from being a victim of repeated negative comments about her age, Perry also alleged the studio of being ableist. “Unbeknownst to Ms. Perry, Ms. Hamilton Daly had it out for her and wanted to move her out of the company due to her age, and her complaints that the company was refusing to accommodate her life limiting health conditions,” Perry has suffered from multiple sclerosis for the past years, per Deadline.
Perry also named SVP Programming and Development Randy Pope for being “abusive and tormented her regularly.”
Hallmark’s Response to the Allegations
Hallmark sent a statement to People and denied the allegations. “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We do not generally comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we are not going to discuss an employment relationship in the media.”
To this date, stars mentioned in the lawsuit, Holly Robinson Peete and Lacy Chabert have not yet released any official statements about the issue.
