Originally published on 10/24/24

A lawsuit has been filed against Hallmark executive Lisa Hamilton Daly after she reportedly said she wanted to stop casting “old people” like Holly Robinson Peete, Lacey Chabert, Teri Hatcher, Catherine Bell, Alison Sweeney and Autumn Reeser. 

The suit was filed by casting director Penny Perry, who was recently fired from the company after working there for eight years. 

“Ms. Perry was ambushed in what she believed was a casting meeting, but in truth, was a termination meeting where Ms. Hamilton Daly and Mr. [Paul] Hodgkinson wrongfully terminated her employment,” The suit reads. “The Defendants’ vile and ageist conduct is well illustrated in a directly hostile comment by Ms. Hamilton Daly, who told Ms. Perry she was ‘too long in the tooth’ to keep her job at Hallmark. This comment was just one part of the months of harassment that Ms. Perry was forced to endure.” 

Also, in the suit, Perry claims that Hamilton Daly reportedly said they needed to “replace” the “old talent” at Hallmark before calling out actresses Holly Robinson Peete, 60, and Lacey Chabert, 42.  

“No one wants [Robinson Peete] because she’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore,” and “Lacey’s [Chabert] getting older, and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older,” Perry claims Hamilton Daly said.

Instead, Hamilton Daly wants “fresh new faces here” and even stated that actress Hunter King would be her first choice. 

According to Perry, behavior like this is “straight from Hallmark’s playbook when they sought to push out other employees in their 60s and 70s because of their age.” 

She also recalled being told that the company needed to “bring in someone (other than her) who knows more young talent.” 

Hamilton Daly has yet to respond to the claims. 

Hallmark denies ageism allegations amid lawsuit

While Hamilton Daly has yet to respond, Hallmark did tell Us Weekly in a statement that the executive producers’ beliefs do not align with their own. 

“Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark,” said the production company. “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.”

Network still moving forward with Countdown to Christmas films

Currently, the network is working to release its Countdown to Christmas lineup. It is set to star Chabert, Robinson Peete and other stars that Hamilton Daly reportedly thinks are “too old” in various films, all centered around the holiday. 

“It’s an adventure, so it is a different type of Christmas movie than I’ve ever done before,” Chabert told First for Women earlier this year about her new Hallmark film, The Christmas Quest. “We got to be in Iceland and film in ice caves, waterfalls and ice glaciers. I love this movie so much, and Kristoffer [Polaha] is wonderful.”

As of the publication date, none of the stars have commented on the claims, but Chabert did post on her Instagram just yesterday to promote her new Netflix film, Hot Frosty. 

Robinson Peete has also remained active on social media, posting various things on her Instagram stories about voting and her recent Woman’s World magazine cover, which is available for purchase on newsstands now. 

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/news/hallmark-faces-lawsuit-for-pushing-out-older-stars