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.
General Hospital
Blythe Howard Joins the Cast of ‘General Hospital’ as Monet: Who is She Connected to in Port Charles?
General Hospital continues to add new characters to the canvas. Now comes word of the arrival of Monet, a savvy lawyer played by Blythe Howard. Look for Monet to debut in Port Charles next week on the Wednesday, September 23 episode.
According to TV Insider, “Monet arrives in town as a litigator who recently joined Miller & Davis, the firm run by Diane Miller (Carolyn Hennesy) and Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn), and meets with a Port Charles resident in need of legal counsel.”
In a statement, General Hospital’s executive producer, Frank Valentini shared, “I am very excited to welcome Blythe Howard to the cast of General Hospital. Look for her to have an unexpected connection to a beloved Port Charles resident.”
FROM TELEVISION TO CANCER SURVIVOR TO GIVING BACK
If Howard looks familiar you may have seen her on several television series including: Yellowstone, Power Book IV: Force, Walker, 9-1-1: Lone Star, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, CW’s Dynasty, Silicon Valley plus David Fincher‘s Mindhunter.
Photo: ChemoQueens
Blythe is also a cancer survivor having cofounded Chemo Queens with her sister Kelsey Howard. The company creates products for people undergoing cancer treatment, including a patent-pending cold cap design.
In recent months, General Hospital has brought in several new actors for brand new roles or recasts. They include: Alimi Ballard (William Baines), Jonathan Bennett (Joe Fitzpatrick), Kearran Giovanni (Dr. Nichols), Dean Geyer (Tristan Roberts), Kelly Kruger (Serena Baldwin), Kayden Brennan Tokarski (Scout Cain) and Troy Lennon Appel (Hudson Parker). You can now add Blythe Howard to this list.
So, who do you think Monet has an unexpected connection to that is a “beloved” Port Charles resident as teased by Frank Valentini? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.
While Finn (Tanner Novlan) is unaware that his wife Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) is pregnant and that she is supposedly carrying Carter Walton’s (Lawrence Saint-Victor) child on The Bold and the Beautiful, Tanner Novlan is keeping busy, not only on the CBS soap, but in an upcoming new feature for the streamer Roku entitled Cowboy Hearts.
Laguna Beach star Kristen Cavallari is the lead opposite Novlan. The log lines of the story tease, “When a no-nonsense reality TV producer (Cavallari) is sent to Georgia to oversee the reboot of the hit dating show ‘Cowboy Hearts,’ she expects chaos behind the scenes, not romantic sparks with the cowboy himself (Novlan). Now, with the cameras rolling and her job on the line, she’ll have to decide if love is worth going off script.”
Taking to his Instagram to confirm his casting, Tanner Novlan shared, “Cowboy Hearts coming to @therokuchannel early ‘27!” The caption was posted alongside two photos of Tanner in the film wearing a cowboy hat, and a video with Tanner shirtless in said cowboy hat, but riding a horse. Tanner’s wife, former B&B actress, Kayla Ewell (ex-Caitlin Ramirez) joked in the comment thread, “Can you bring the cowboy hat home?”
Photo: JPI
KRISTEN CAVALLARI RETURNS TO ACTING AFTER 15 YEARS
Cavallari also recently starred as herself in an episode of ABC’s 9-1-1: Nashville, but Cowboy Hearts marks her first acting role in 15 years since she appeared in an episode of ABC comedy series, The Middle. Earlier in her career, Kristen appeared in the Laguna Beach spinoff, The Hills (as herself), plus episodes of Veronica Mars and CSI: NY.
The partnership of Roku and Cavallari comes from her having the biggest unscripted launch ever on the Roku platform with The Reunion: Laguna Beach. Now, Cowboy Hearts will launch sometime next year with Cavallari saying in a statement to Deadline, “I’m so excited to be stepping back into acting and getting to do something completely different with a rom-com. After such a great experience working with Roku on The Reunion: Laguna Beach, it feels especially exciting to be working with their team again — but this time for a scripted film. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
MORE THAN JUST BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL
As for Tanner Novlan, he has been playing Dr. John Finn Finnegan since July of 2020 on the CBS daytime drama series. He’s also well known for his role as the bad actor/ spokesperson in the Liberty Biberty commercial spots for Liberty Mutual, and his recurring role on Roswell, New Mexico.
Novlan is no stranger as a leading man in rom-coms, too. He previously appeared in 2019’s My Best Friend’s Christmas, 2022’s Christmas Class Reunion, and 2024’s Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle.
So, intrigued to see Tanner in Cowboy Hearts when it comes out next year? On B&B, do you think Finn is really the baby-daddy to Steffy’s unborn baby that will be revealed later down the road? Let us know via the comment section.
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Tonight on September 15, R. J. Decker’s returns for its second season immediately following the season 35 premiere of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. In the season premiere, as previously reported Lucas Adams (ex-Noah Newman, The Young and the Restless, and ex-Tripp Dalton, Days of our Lives) is one of the guest stars.
The season 2 premiere will also server as a crossover event with cameos from Dancing with the Stars pros Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy, as well as The Bachelor’s Joey Graziadei, who won the Mirror Ball Trophy in season 33.
In the logline for tonight’s episode pf R.J. Decker (10 pm ET/PT) entitled, The Point of Us Breaking, a reunion with an old prison acquaintance pulls R.J. into a string of daring bank heists as the fallout from Victor Ochoa’s death deepens.
Photo: ABC
WHO IS LUCAS ADAMS PLAYING ON R.J. DECKER?
Taking to his Instagram story from the set of R. J. Decker, Lucas Adams, in what looks like prison garb, explains a bit about the character he plays in the crime series. ‘What’s up? It’s Lucas Adams, and I play Liam Jansen. I’ve got myself into a sticky situation, hopefully me and my little dog can get out of there safely!”
R.J, Decker stars Scott Speedman in the leading role as the private investigator. The series is inspired by Carl Hiaasen’s 1987 novel Double Whammy, the popular, comedic ABC crime drama follows disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con R.J. Decker as he reinvents himself as a P.I. in South Florida.
Photo: JPI
HOW DID NOAH NEWMAN LEAVE GENOA CITY?
Lucas Adams departed The Young and the Restless on-screen back on the August 3, 2026 episode when Noah and Sienna Bacall (Tamara Braun) decided to leave Genoa City and head back to Los Angeles to get away from Matt Clark (Roger Howarth).
Adams had portrayed Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Sharon’s (Sharon Case) son for a little under a year having debuted on November 4, 2025. Previously, Adams played Tripp Dalton on Days of Our Lives from 2017-2024 with multiple runs on the soap opera.
R.J. Decker airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and be released on Hulu the following day with some major rebroadcasts of new episodes including tonight’s which can also be seen next Sunday on September 20 at 8pm ET.
So, will you be checking out Lucas Adams in the season two premiere of R.J. Decker? Let us know via the comment section below.
Blythe Howard Joins the Cast of ‘General Hospital’ as Monet: Who is She Connected to in Port Charles?
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Tanner Novlan Set to Star in Roku Rom-Com ‘Cowboy Hearts’
DANCING WITH THE STARS Season 35 Premiere: Which Male Impressed on Night One? Who Was Sent Home?
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Carter Has a Way Out and Implores Steffy, “Say You’ll Be Our Donor and Surrogate!”
TUNE-IN: ‘R. J. Decker’ Season 2 Premiere: Y&R and DAYS Alum Lucas Adams Guest Stars
‘General Hospital’s’ Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson to Star in New Holiday Movie
Jess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027
RATINGS: ‘General Hospital’ Shows Most Gains in Total Viewers Week-Over-Week and Up in Key Demo
Y&R’s Co-Head Writer Jamey Giddens, Ahead of November Stories and Scripts Debut with Dan O’Connor, Explains How Fall Tees Up Their Plans for Genoa City
‘General Hospital’s’ Bluesy Burke Marks 1 Year as Charlotte Cassadine: ‘It’s The Best Gift I’ve Ever Received’
DANCING WITH THE STARS Season 35 Premiere: Which Male Impressed on Night One? Who Was Sent Home?
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Carter Has a Way Out and Implores Steffy, “Say You’ll Be Our Donor and Surrogate!”
Soap Alums Remembered During In Memoriam Segment at 78th Emmy Awards; Patrick Muldoon Omitted
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason and Britt Break Up After Realizing They Can’t Trust Each Other
Franco LoPresti and Sydney Malakeh Makes Their ‘Days of our Lives’ Debuts: What Were Your First Impressions?
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