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?
My mothers and 91 years old I’ve been taking care of her for eight years we periodically watch home and family I turn it on when I go to dialysis and it’s a good show with Christina. True hosts have an “it” which Christina has. I always wonder where the Expert producers come up with their ideas?, do they ever do some simple research? It appears. We don’t watch home and family anymore.
Jim Green
I heard somewhere that Christina has bone cancer. Is that true? Sure hope not. I have always enjoyed watching her in whatever she does, she is so genuine.
Yes, Justine. Cristina found out at the end of summer she had bone cancer. It is treatable and she will have a bone marrol transplant in Jan. That is not why she left Home and Family though. She was fired, they said she was too old now for host. Hopefully Cristina will fully recover and she has many offers for her own tv show.
My sister and I had both stopped watching home and family because of Christina. Could not take her anymore. She acted as if she was better than anyone else, especially Mark. We felt bad for him, and he always was such a gentleman, just kept quiet, there were times when I would have smacked her a shot. He was great with Paige and he is great with Debbie. They always appear to be having a great time at work. The show is back to what it used to be. It’s a good time, and a nice break for the viewer… Read more »
I agree the show is not the same, she made the show. Classy Lady!
Wow just tuned into Home And Family it’s not the same without Christina the new girl is not genuine at all……won’t watch anymore lost its special spark
Cristina was THE REASON I watched Home and Family! Will not be tuning in any longer! BIG mistake! She and Mark made a good team and had great chemestry. BIG MISTAKE!
Agree totally
BIG MISTAKE – Christina was why people were drawn to the show in the first place – I thought I’d finally found something worth watching on TV. She’s a lovely, warm and classy star – it left a void in the show when she was replaced. I’ve watched a few times, at first thinking her absence was temporary. I was so disappointed when I found out they let her go! Evidently some people who have power over some shows have not learned the old saying – IF IT ISN’T BROKEN, DON”T TRY TO “FIX” IT! BIG MISTAKE. My regards to… Read more »
I too agree with everything that everyone is saying about how the show loss it’s zing without Christina. She made Mark into a cohost and brought out a better him. He’ s not the same without her. Years ago she wrote one of her books and made an appearance in Kansas City, Kansas at a Nebraska Furniture Mart. I have to tell all of her fans that she was as lovely and beautiful at the book signing in small little midwest , even though I’m sure she thought we were quite the small town USA! Her personality was exactly as… Read more »
Rosalie,
I have not been watching the show since Cristina left. She and Matt were so good together that when I first started watching the show I thought they were married. They had such chemistry. Too bad. I have moved on. Hope Cristina will find a new show I will wait patiently.
The show is boring without Christina. Debbie is not a co-host. I will not watch it anymore. The upper management made a serious mistake.
I watched Home and Family once since Christina’s departure. Prior to her leaving the show, I watched 4 hours of Home and Family daily. The show is certainly not the same. Christina made the show. Mark tries too hard, and Debbie just doesn’t work in the role of co-host. She is okay with a short segment daily, but not as a co-host. I don’t watch Hallmark channel now.
I tuned in and was disappointed to see a new person. I miss the warmth of Cristina. She did need to lose weight and maybe a new hair style. Too bad the powers that be didn’t ask her to do that…
Sorry to hear that Cristina is gone. I liked her on the show. I don’t watch the show now.
No way!! No longer watch. Debbie is way to hyper and as others say , no chemistry with mark. Well anyways. It’s all so sad
We stopped watching H&F about 6 months ago, when we found out that Christina was gone. We actually stopped watching everything on Hallmark now, stopped going to any Hallmark Gold Crown stores and will no longer buy Hallmark cards (even in the grocery stores). It’s really hard to stop the tradition of watching all the Christmas movies this time of the year. But, if they (Hallmark) don’t listen to their long time viewers and bring back Christina, maybe they will care when they see their profits go down. Power of the purse sometimes works. I (and my sisters, Mom and… Read more »