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 liked Christina better, but will watch the show for a while, because I like crafts.
I thought the same thing, but Debbie’s in all the segments. I guess Cristina was too, but she stayed in the background and let the others run the segment. Not so with Debbie. She is the SHOW, or at least she thinks she is. I didn’t dislike her before the take over, I just was never interested in her segments and I didn’t love her like I did Page, Tanya, Kym, and all the others. I don’t love Mark, but I put up with him because Cristina did.
I have been quite ill and Hallmark is the staple of what ticks away the hours as I lay in bed, I watched Home and Family everyday with the exception of days I had surgery or during post op, I have to say Marc and Christine were the show, when she was first gone thought it temporary, I have totally stopped watching and am disappointed, I looked forward from day to day to my daily “visits” with my extended family. Now when the time slot rolls around so does the channel, in addition to changing the cast the entire dynamics… Read more »
Was a huge fan of the show….mainly because Christina is real. Sad when a show gets rid of a host who the fans enjoy watching. I watch all the movies but now I turn it off in the morning. Poor choice in the new host they should have stayed in the craft closet.
No I will not watch ,I don,the like changes . I really liked Cristina on that show thank you.
Hallmark and Home & Family really made a huge mistake in firing Cristina. She was warm, welcoming, personable and likabke. Watching the show felt like spending time with family. Debbie comes off as fake, self centered and as though she thinks she is better than everyone else. I thought that the first time I saw her on the show, when she was just a contributor and avoided most of her segnents. I have not watched Home & Family since she stole Cristina’s job and even though I like others on the show, I will never watch it again. The person… Read more »
So very sorry to see Christina leave. No disrespect meant when I say the replacement reminds me of an animated doll. Not that it matters, but just lost me as a longtime viewer. I just can’t bear another cutesy on a talk show.
I’m so sad that hallmark fired Christina. She was the whole reason I ever watched the show!! Goodbye hallmark!!!
Christina was warm, caring, and she and Marc made the show feel like real home and family. She is classy and funny. The show is not the same. Hallmark was cruel. I will NOT be watching any longer!!
Not the way I would think a show about home and family would do things. Very disappointing!
I thought that the Hallmark channel was the channel with a heart. Seems that the firing of Christina was heartless. And Christina was gracious about her exit. Goodbye, Hallmark.
Can’t believe they replace her with Debbie M. What were you thinking???Won’t be watching home n family anymore
No disrespect to Debbie but Christina was an icon on the show and her relationship/interaction with Marc was great! Why fix what wasn’t broken?
Christina has a lot of warmth about her. I miss her.
It’s a truly poor choice to replace such a wonderful person, Cristina with a very shallow, fake acting Debbie. Debbie has been a bomb as far as I’m concerned since the View. What knuckleheads made this horrible decision? You lost a viewer, period.
I used to be a fan of the show, I would dvr it. I would tune in to see if Christina was on the show. No Christina, I change the channel. I haven’t watched the show since. So much for family. 🙁