Why Is Hallmark Being Sued? Former Employee Claims VP of Programming Wants ‘Old Talent’ Out

The Hallmark Channel has found itself at the center of a lawsuit after a former casting director for the network claimed that an executive at the company wanted the “old talent” replaced with younger actors. The story about the age discrimination lawsuit broke right before Hallmark’s most popular time of year, the Christmas holidays.

Why Is Hallmark Being Sued?

Penny Perry, a former casting director for the channel, accused “Hallmark executive VP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly, Senior Vice President of Programming and Development Randy Pope and Vice President of Human Resources Paul Hodgkinson of wrongful termination, age and disability discrimination, defamation, retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress,” according to the court documents obtained by People.

In the documents, Perry alleged that Hamilton Daly made the decision that Perry was “too old to work in her position and maneuvered to push her out of the company.”

Hamilton Daly was also accused of telling Perry that Hallmark needed “to bring in someone who knows more young talent” and that the channel’s “leading ladies are aging out.” Perry claimed that Hamilton Daly then went on to specifically mention actresses Lacey Chabert, Holly Robinson Peete and Terri Hatcher as examples of “old talent,” according to the court filing. At the time of publication, Chabert is 42 years old, Robinson Peete is 60 and Hatcher is 59.

“Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older,” Perry claimed Hamilton Daly said.

As for Robinson Peete, Perry alleged that Hamilton Daly said that “no one wants” her and, “She’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore.”

Has Hallmark Responded to the Lawsuit?

A spokesperson for the network released a statement on October 24, 2024, and denied all of the claims.

“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,” the statement given to People read.

What Other Complaints Did Penny Perry Make in the Hallmark Lawsuit?

Along with her claims that Hallmark executives were actively pushing out “older” actresses, Perry alleged that she was also a victim of ageism at the company. Perry had been with the network since the ‘70s and she claimed to have always gotten excellent evaluations, but she alleged that she was abruptly fired in April 2024. Her replacement was a younger man, and in the court documents, Perry claimed that Hamilton Daly had told her she was “too long in the tooth” on more than one occasion.

Perry claimed that her office was moved to a different floor and she was excluded from meetings. She also said her casting responsibilities were given to an outside source on at least one project.

Perry said that she experienced “vile and ageist conduct” while working at Hallmark but that it was “straight from Hallmark’s playbook when they sought to push out other employees in their 60s and 70s because of their age.”