News
Hallmark CEO Apologizes After Cable Network Pulled Zola’s Same-Sex Wedding Ad Sparking Controversy
On Sunday night, Hallmark Card president and CEO Mike Perry offered up an apology to wedding planner website Zola after the Hallmark Channel removed four commercials that featured a same-sex wedding. See previous story here, and as many soap fans several former favorites from daytime are hired as actors consistently by the network for their movies,
In a statement, Perry shared: “The Crown Media team has been agonizing over this decision as we’ve seen the hurt it has unintentionally caused. Said simply, they believe this was the wrong decision. 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. We are truly sorry for the hurt and disappointment this has caused. … Across our brand, we will continue to look for ways to be more inclusive and celebrate our differences.”
Then, on the companies corporate website another statement was served up expressing: “That is is, and always has been, committed to diversity and inclusion — both in our workplace as well as the products and experiences we create. It is never Hallmark’s intention to be divisive or generate controversy. We are an inclusive company and have a track record to prove it.”
That post talked about how the company has LGBTQ greeting cards, and goes on to say how the company has been recognized as one of the Human Rights Campaigns Best Places to Work, and as one of Forbes America’s Best Employers for Diversity. You can read that statement in full here.
GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis said on the the reinstatement of the ads: “The Hallmark Channel’s decision to correct its mistake sends an important message to LGBTQ people and represents a major loss for fringe organizations, like One Million Moms, whose sole purpose is to hurt families like mine. LGBTQ people are, and will continue to be a part of advertisements and family programming and that will never change. GLAAD exists to hold brands like The Hallmark Channel accountable when they make discriminatory decisions and to proactively ensure families of all kinds are represented in fair and accurate ways.”
So, what do you think about Hallmark’s apology? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Hallmark knew they would lose viewers, so finally they made the right decisions. I still find there shows cheesy and terrible acting. Lol
Recognizing a grave error, apologizing for it and overturning the decision is the perfect response. Hallmark.
So Disappointed in there decision.If the ads come back no more Hallmark channel in our home and guess will get lower cable bill.Disconnecting from all channels with no family morals.
My husband, son and I have family values, just like all LGBTQ people.
So I guess that means FAUX Noize will also be off your TV? How many perverts have been fired from that channel? Including the former boss, Roger Ailes.
I’ll give you three guesses where he is right now.
Yeah, gimme soaps with REAL “family morals”! I wanna see upstanding folks like Baby-snatching Thomas plotting to bring down those he thinks wronged him! Show me pics of Rey’s niece from his ex-wife Mia’s affair with his brother Arturo! And I just gotta find out if little Violet (conceived out of wedlock with Papa Finn) will ever notice her mother abandoned her. You mean THOSE “family morals?”….
I suggest you stay with the old 60’s tv series where divorce, LGBTQ, children before marriage, women working outside the home etc were never discussed. In other words, a sanitized version of real life.
you mean you actually watch all the commercials? Most people skip thru them or leave the room.
Hallmark should have discussed this more thoroughly before acting on it.
I dont mind the commercials – Im guessing dont have drug co ads or erectile dysfunction ads – both of those kinds of ads I could do without. ha
So the heterosexual family with an abusive alcoholic father is okay to see, but not the loving, non-violent lesbians? Love that morality.
The Hallmark Channel caters the seniors..
”Hallmark has an older audience — its median age is 58.6”
And seniors are not as open to same-sex as the younger are.
Seems Hallmark was catering to what they perceived the seniors would freak at, dunno.
It looks like the younger heard the news, read of it in social media
and acted on it..
Anyways- Hallmark isn’t going anywhere..
Its apology wasn’t necessary; they scare too easily.
then again most all do..
political correctness has become to be used as a weapon.
Su000…According to the ratings I’ve read Hallmarks fastest growing demos start at women 18 to 49+, even including men. Right now their ratings are very, very good compared to other major networks. And have been acknowledged as feel good, “traditional,” go-to tv compared to the real life and divisive politics, especially since 2016. Not that they don’t need some updating in their formula. Just wish Facebook would axe the “fake news” political ads from unfriendly counties/groups that they accept. But it seems the money is just too good.
Hallmark needed to be updated years ago!
I really thought that Hallmark was a better company than this.I for one do not want to see same sex anything forced in my face just because I love to watch TV. Whatever people do behind closed doors is between them and God, we should never have it forced on us to watch. Yes, I am of the older generation and I do not agree that the almighty dollar should take precedence over what is morally right. I will be looking for another channel to watch my movies on and will never Grace the hallmark cards section. This company knows right from wrong but they’ve chosen the latter.If your cards promote the same of children and women for millions of dollars,how would you handle that? I am very disappointed, goodbye Hallmark!
Earlene…I guess that means you don’t watch General Hospital because of the Brad and Lucas storyline?
Yet you are willing to force your religious beliefs on the rest of us
Anne…this has nothing to do with forcing my religious beliefs on anyone. And you don’t even know what they are. But when there are things on tv I don’t want to watch, and there are some, I mute, or switch channels until they pass. Just wish I could do the same in some of our national political discourse. With all of that said I truly hope you have a nice holiday season.
Earline…you are not being forced to watch anything that goes on behind closed doors. There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with these commercials. Would you feel the same if it portrayed an inter-racial heterosexual couple? There is nothing wrong with love.
God bless you Earlene.
Including individuals like me and families like mine is not political correctness. WE are not going anywhere and companies that are looking to the future know that equality for all – and equal treatment/representation – is the future. Get over it.
Hallmark deciding not to bow to white supremacist, homophobic hate groups like One Million Moms is not political correctness. They were cowards to appeasing them in the first place. Get a clue.
Hi soapfan..
it wasn’t about bowing to white supremacist
it’s about caving in.. every time some group says; boycott
people jump to appease.
anyways.. the white supremacists should be happy,,
the Hallmark movies are nearly all-white actors
ever notice that??
((i don’t watch Hallmark but work people had mentioned
the movies are white peoples ..
one said;
it’s going to be a ”white” Christmas movie, again.
Im a very young 60 – dont consider senior until 70. But most older people that are uncomfortable with non hetros are much older than me, like my mom’s group which would be WWII crowd. Or they haven’t lived in larger population areas.
100 percent agree!
These are the worst movies, but this is good news.
These ads don’t bother me. I’m more for love than hate anyway. Haven’t seen these ads before. I wonder if Zola runs them on other networks?
I personally do not have a problem with gays or lesbians but I believe since Hallmark is family oriented that it should be more selective with what they show on television. Not everyone is on board with watching woman kissing each other or men kissing each other. We have children watching some of these movies and it is very confusing to them. To them this is not natural. So I have to elect not to watch these movies. It was a good move to do what they did.
On what basis do you say what is or what is not “natural”?
Believe me, as a long term observer of mortal humanity, I can promise you that there have been people of different orientations for a really long time. If you want to get biblical about it, don’t go with the Sodom & Gomorrah thing, because that story has been seriously misinterpreted. Not to mention that chapter ends with Lot getting drunk and doing really weird things with his own daughters. Now THAT is not natural!!
Try the story of young future king David & his relationship with Saul’s son, Jonathan, for example. Scripture says that their love for each other was greater than their love for women. And when old Saul found out about it, he accused poor Jon of being a “whore” just like his mama, and tried to gut his own son with a spear. Guess Saul was the founder of “One Million Moms” (yeah the current organization ain’t run by women either, nor do they have anything remotely close to a million members. But since when do FundaMENTALists tell the truth about anything??)
Children are taught hate, they are taught what is “unnatural.” They do not innately think that some people should kiss and others shouldn’t. They are not confused unless people like you confuse them. Also, not to make your brain explode or whatever, but lots of kids are LGBTQ. Shouldn’t they be able to see reflections of themselves on TV? For crying out loud, read a book. Read a pamphlet. Get a clue.
There ARE children being raised by same sex couples.
There is nothing wrong with any child witnessing LOVE. It should not be confusing. It is not natural TO YOU, you are teaching your children the same. Sad.
They realized the amount of money they were, and will continue to lose… They offer 2 – 3 Same sex cards, for any occasion/holiday. Plus, there was here an apology, they just agonized over the decision.
I was not happy when they pulled the ads. I had been seeing them already on other platforms and thought they were cute. I am glad they have seen the error of removing them and hope Zola will put them back on.
It looks like the current run of Lucas Adams (Noah) and Tamara Braun (Sienna) on The Young and the Restless is coming to an end, after the Monday, August 3 edition of the CBS daytime drama revealed that Noah and Sienna are leaving Genoa City and heading back to Los Angeles.
In the storyline, Noah informed his mother, Sharon (Sharon Case) and half-sister Mariah (Camryn Grimes) that he and Sienna made the decision to move back to the West Coast to put distance between themselves and Matt Clark (Roger Howarth). Although Noah did not say it was a permanent move, he did assure his mom that once Matt is hopefully gone from Genoa City they could return.
However, as previewed already on the video teaser for this week’s episodes of Y&R (see below), it appears Noah left Genoa City’s The Shadow Room to be run by a returning Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian). So with that, coupled with today’s episode, it would appear the move could wind up being more permanent.
Photo: JPI
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Adams made his Y&R debut on November 4, 2025 as the successor to Rory Gibson who last played Noah on-screen in April of 2023. Earlier in 2025, Gibson took over the role of Michael Corinthos on Genera Hospital replacing Chad Duell, who stepped away from the part after 15 years.
Braun who played Adam’s mother on Days of Our Lives when she was Ava Vitali and he was Tripp Dalton, first appeared on Y&R back on October 14, 2025, where we soon learned she had become Noah’s lover as the new character, Sienna Bacall. It should be noted, Adams was on contract with the number #1 soap, while Braun has been on recurring status.
With Josh Griffith now exited as head writer of The Young and the Restless, and the newly announced co-head writing team of Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor having taken his place and starting their new tenure this week, it will be interesting to see how the duo resets the show, and if a Noah and Sienna return is in the cards for the future or not.
So, what do you think about the seeming departures of Lucas Adams and Tamara Braun from The Young and the Restless? Weigh-in via the comment section. But first, check out our recent live chat with Tamara and Lucas on the Michael Fairman Channel.
Rosie O’Donnell revealed that she plans to head back to a seat at the table of ABC’s morning talk show The View.
The announcement came during Monday’s episode of The Tangle Podcast where she shared she will participate in “in whatever way they want” her or “just as a guest” for its upcoming 30th season.
The View’s season 30 will kick-off this fall in September. O’Donnell explained, “They’re bringing back all the hosts, I think. And, you know, I’m pretty proud of that show, what it’s become and how it really speaks to the people and to politics.”
Photo: ABC
ROSIE ON HER PREVIOUS GO-ROUNDS ON THE VIEW
As fans of The View know, O’Donnell famously had two different one-year stints on the talk show in 2007 and again in 2014- 2015. She often feuded with then co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck.
However, during her discussion with host, Kyle Ridley on The Tangle Podcast, O’Donnell also noted she often had tense moments with longtime moderator and anchor, Whoopi Goldberg.
O’Donnell also expressed, “Many, many people got the short end of the stick there. It was, you know, it was a factory where people were being churned in and out and their tenuous security, nobody got to be calm. It also was a show at the time that was run by a man. A show created by a woman, for women, about women, and the man was deciding what we should talk about. And that didn’t sit right with me, you know.”
Back in 2023, Brooke Shields had asked Rosie on her podcast, Now What? with Brooke Shields, about how she felt on her two stints at The View and all the controversy that surrounded it. Rosie at that time, stated, “I know this, it’s not the best use of my talent to get in a show where I have to argue and defend basic principles of humanity and kindness. It was not something I’d ever do again.”
You can check out the clip with Rosie and Kyle Ridley discussing her return to The View in some form for its upcoming 30th season below.
Then weigh-in: Would you be excited to see Rosie, even for a one-day or a week guest stint on the upcoming celebratory season of The View, or not so much? Let us know via the comment section.
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General Hospital Fan Club Weekend brought out many of your favorites to the four day event; with the main cast gathering on Saturday, August 1. Fans near and far attended the weekend held this year at the Burbank Marriott Hotel. Whether it be the main cast event or the smaller more intimate events featuring two or three cast members a great time was had by all.
Some of the cast participating in the main cast event included: Cyrus Hobbi (Yuri), Gary James Fuller (James), Bradford Anderson (Spinelli), Viron Weaver (Wiley), Paige Herschell (Jacinda), Chris McKenna (Brennan), Josh Kelly (Cody), Kayden Brenna Tokarsi (Scout), Cassandra James (Terry), Laura Wright (Carly), Dominic Zamprogna (Dante), Carolyn Hennesy (Diane), Rick Hearst (Ric), Adrian Anchondo (ex-Marco), and Chloe Lanier (ex-Nelle).
In addition to, Van Hansis (Lucas), Cameron Mathison (Drew), Ryan Paevey (ex-Cassius), Easton Rocket Sweda (Leo), Maurice Benard (Sonny), Kristen Vaganos (Molly), Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis), Kate Mansi (ex-Kristina), Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth), Cynthia Watros (Nina), Kristina Wagner (Felicia) and more.
Take a look at some of the snaps from the main event arrivals below:
Photo: HutchinsPhoroi
GH’s Rick Hearst with on-screen daughter, Kristen Vaganos, plus Nancy Lee Grahn, and Kate Mansi.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
GH’s Maurice Benard on-hand to meet the fans.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto.com
Jack Brennan in the house … Chris McKenna.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
Adrian Anchondo, Van Hansis and Anchondo’s boyfriend, Days of Our Lives, Colton Little.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
GH’s Josh Kelly and his gal, the former Nelle Benson of Port Charles, Chloe Lanier.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
Who is James’ father? Not Cassius or Spinelli, actually. Actors Gary James Fuller, Ryan Paevey and Bradford Anderson!
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
One of General Hospital’s newest cast members, Kayden Brenna Tokarski attends her first GHFCW event.
Check out some more arrival images featuring: Laura Wright (Carly), Cassandra James (Terry), Carolyn Hennesy (Diane) and more in the gallery below.
Michael Fairman TV will be adding more images to this post in the day ahead.
So, were you glad to see so many of your GH favorites attending this year’s General Hospital Fan Club Weekend? Let us know via the comment section.
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