Yesterday, Hallmark Channel announced that host Cristina Ferrare would be replaced as co-host by regular contributor Debbie Matenopoulos. The cable channel didn’t specify when the change would take place.
Today, co-host Mark Steines made a quick announcement that Ferrare had left the show and that Matenopoulos would be replacing her, effective immediately. Ferrare hadn’t been on the show for two weeks and didn’t return for a send-off.
Fans of the show have been concerned if Ferrare was sick and have been wondering if the decision to leave was her decision. On her Facebook page, Ferrare confirmed that she is not sick and essentially says that she was fired. She wrote:
Okay here goes, I feel it’s important to finally step up to the plate and let you know what is happening.
First may I say that my family and I have been so thankful and appreciative for all the love, support, prayers, and good wishes you have been sending me on a daily basis for the past three weeks. It pained me so that I was unable to let you know what was going on out of respect for everyone on Home and Family and the Network. I was asked to wait and I have but now I feel I should out of respect for YOU let you know.
It’s really very simple, Home and Family will have a season 5 which I am so happy for and the Network decided that they want a new co-host and that will be Debbie. She will do a great job!
You can still reach me here on facebook and we shall continue honoring love of family and friends. I truly LOVE you all. You have been my rainbow!
What do you think? Are you sorry that Ferrare is no longer a co-host on Home & Family? Will you continue to watch? Should the show be cancelled or, is Ferrare’s replacement a good idea?
I will miss Christine for sure and I think she was important to make the show good for all ages. I have always thought Debbie is a little over the top and I am not sure I will continue to watch the show. This feels like a bit of ageism to me.
I do not care for Debbie. She seems fake to me. That constant smile gets to me and her voice inflections like she just loves everyone. It’s too, too much.
I am in total shock about this. Cristina Ferrare was the perfect co-host. Cristina was warm, caring, and full of class. The chemistry between Mark and Cristina was superb. This is absolutely disgraceful. I will no longer watch the show.
I am devastated that Christina has been let go from Home & Family on Hallmatk‼️ I remember a similar situation when the show she cohosted ended abruptly in the past! I remember that it was also produced by Woody ‼️ What’s up, my heart gets invested & I would like more of explanation please
That just isn’t right. She is what made the show, I hope she goes on to
her own network, who will appreciate what she has to offer.
Shame on Home and Family! You just lost a faithful viewer. Cristina was the Heart of the show and so sincere and real. You destroyed the Home in Home and Family. This was done so poorly and unprofessionally!
I’m not sure if I will continue to watch this show. I was injured 6 years ago at work and have been home bound ever since. I looked forward to seeing Cristina every weekday morn. More than Mark!
Cristina was the heart of the show. D.M. is O.K. but will never replace or compare to Cristina. Your ratings will drop. Be prepared to be cancelled!! So not fare! Cristina should have never been FIRED! This is a very bad call. She is worth more than anyone on the show!!!!!!!!
I’m so sorry that Christina is gone from home & family. It won’t be the same. Curious why she was fired?
Cristina will be missed. The show is the loser here. I’m sure Ms. M is a fine person but she cannot replace Ms. Ferrare.
Love Debbie, but feel Cristina was the true heart of the show. She gave a softer. and more balanced character to it Her cooking and decorating ablities are great assets, along wth her true graciousness and welcoming personality.,which is unmatched in the industry. Guests immediately relaxed and related to her in a way that few hosts have ever been able to achieve. Hallmark, I’m afraid you have made a serious error.
anyone else think the Christmas in July were a bit tacky this year???
I did see part of one show where they made this godawful Christmas tree out of netting or something. The decorations were awful. Lets face it, Cristina had the decorating touch that none of those other women have.
The show isn’t the same without Cristina, when you start to change people the viewers loose interest. When the show started with Cristina and Mark they had a good chemistry which made people want to watch the show, plus had good cast of people, but the show seems to be loosing some of their favorite people. Let’s hope the network made a good decision but there was nothing wrong with Cristina as co-host..
Cristina should have had a send off from the show. While I am sure D. M. will do fine, the show loses some heart and experience that will be missed. Crisina should have been celebrated with a proper exit she deserved.
I loved Christina as Host
I will not watch anymore , sorry!!!
I too wanted to see how they announced Christina’s departure. They just repeated what Hallmark and H&F said on Facebook and Twitter. There was no kindness nor respect for Cristina or loyal fans. I used to keep home and family on to set the tone for my home during the day. All I have seen and heard in the past months is rudeness towards guests. Cristina was relatable to women of all ages. I appreciated her hospitality. Something I could learn from and extend to my family and friends. Today after the announcement just made it easy to turn the… Read more »
Cristina has been a wonderful co-host. I feel she added much to the program, plus her background and skills, especially in cooking, modeling, child rearing, her successful marriage, etc. She and Mark had a great comraderie. I don’t see the same with Mark and Debbie. I hate that the producers dumped her–maybe because of age–I especially hate that as her expertise added so much. Debbie does a good job, but I feel is not the class Cristina is. Cristina does not have to “show off” and did not. By the way, if you ever dump Mark, I will definitely not… Read more »
I agree completely
I will just add that I am no longer continuing to watch as I stated in my June 23 post. I tuned in today and Matt and Dr. Eiseman co-hosting was just dreadful and with Debbie having her hand on one of their lower legs. Seriously? Does she not see all of these comments? I am so disappointed in Hallmark. Disappointed is a mild word. There is likely more to the story….
Cristina’s professionalism and class likely wouldn’t let her come back if they asked her. We will probably never know the full story.
How can you tolerate Mark Steines? He is about as arrogant and obnoxious as they come. He’s no spring chicken. Putting him up against all these real young people just shows his true age. I’m no longer a viewer. How can you be?
He’s handsome, but he’s very shallow. Cristina did everything for him. If they were all true friends, they would have put up a fight to keep her.
He wanted her spot…..
I totally agree! He had no chemistry with Christine…his fault, not hers! Christine was professionally superior to Mark and it’s obvious that Debbie is inferior.
Why is home and family on 2 hrs it is such a ditsy dumb show no personality too sickening sweet debbie awful know it all Kym,paige too sweet cannot stand Mark.
Mark was probably part of Cristina’s departure. He was so short with her at times it would not surprise me for him to have requested Debbie instead of Cristina. His new wife is so much younger which just shows he likes younger women! Sometime to think about Patricia!!!
The new wife is 36 and he’s 52. SHE may have a father complex? It’s 16 years difference. I never liked his snide remarks he made to the women on the show. He’s passive-aggressive.
Amen when calls the heart so boring the peetes do not belong on hallmark
Yeah I agree! Jack Wagner is ancient! Tired of these goofy shows they promote!! Same ole same ole only a different day!
i will no longer be watching Home and Family which I have watched since day 1. The decision to replace Christina was horrible and shameful especially since she is the one who made this show a success. I thought more highly of Hallmark and am contemplating not watching anything further on either station.
Well I will be joining the long list of former followers of the show.Shame on the excutives who made this decision…..Your network has lost me from watching all of your programs…..BLOCK it I shall!
Why did they take her off the show? I do not watch it anymore cause she is not on it.
Because they wanted to appeal to a younger audience, without coming out and saying Cristina is too old. That would get them a lawsuit slapped on them. But Cristina is too classy for that.
How they could fire a warm, charming, gracious and beautiful person such as Cristina, to hire a young woman, who looks like everyone else with long, mop- like hair. short skirts and spiked high-heels, is beyond me. This new person has about as much personality as a cardboard box. I won’t be watching this show any more.
Hallmark’s decision to replace Christina is their right, since they pay for the show. My privilege is to choose to no longer watch it. I am exercising that right now. Adios, H&F.
I’m not watching H&F since Christina is no longer on the show. She made the show great!!!
Hallmarks Home and Family Show always claims that family is so important. And that when when one member is hurting all are hurting. Yet they banish Christina without explanation or goodbye. As though she was never a member of the family. Should have been handled better. Christina was the reason I watched every morning. She has a very beautiful and kind way about her.
I loved Home and Family and wonder what happened to Cristina. Now I am Sorry for Mark not to standup for what seemed to be his best friend. Cristina always showed love and passion and Mark to be part of her family. I only watched a few times and now I will never watch again. Good luck Mark on your New Years day parade which I will watch on a different channel. So disappointed in your selfishness. Cristina, God Bless you and love always.
AMEN,
I too am disappointed that Christina is no longer on the show and have not watched it since. Such a loss!
Exactly. They should be ashamed of themselves; for now they have created a generation gap, by making this all new and upcoming and forgetting the older and respected parents and grandparents along with social graces that the young do not have. A home consists of many people and since she was the anchor of that show, not Mark, I see the ship sinking. Also, if Christina started a show on the Internet, I am sure many of us would be her viewers.
So true all the hallmark movies have skinny actresses boring male costars. Vineyards or bakery goods please
I I get so tired of age discrimination and Youthful people are wonderful on TV but so are the Boomers to I think there’s a place for everyone. funny how a guy can get older but a woman cannot. the skinny legged wavy haired girls with the big teeth don’t have a clue about how to really make a home they’ve never really done that someone mature has already done it
I can say I still do not watch Home and Family nor any other shows/movies on either Hallmark Channel and have no desire to change. I was a huge supporter of the show and Hallmark, but never again. I am so glad that so many people are voicing their opinion about what occurred on Home and Family. People can make a difference!!
I’m very disappointed to hear that Christina is no longer hosting Home and Family. Christina brought tremendous warmth and depth of wisdom to the show. She took the badgering of Mark Steines in good spirit. I always thought he was too hard on her and never appreciated his treatment of her.
Still cannot get used to Deborah M. Her sincerity level is not there.
Such a boring know it all overtalks everyone her and Mark deserve each other paige and kym they all are too sickening sweet