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?
Cristina brought her warm friendly personality to the show. I enjoyed watching the show when I could but I do not watch the show anymore. All the guests and hosts seem uncomfortable and are trying too hard to entertain and inform the audience. I miss seeing Cristina host the show.
Cristina added so much elegance, spirit and a sense of love of family. I truly miss seeing her beautiful self and interaction with the guests & audience. I will miss her and am not inclined to continue to watch the show.
They need a younger better looking male host too!!
I’ll stop watching now that Cristina is gone. She had great chemistry with Mark.
I will not watch the show anymore. Sometimes networks think replacing people for younger ones is the rich thing to do. It is the opposite this is an insult to loyal viewers like me. Shame on you people. Me, my family and friends will never watch the show again.
I stopped watching the show because I feel they fired you because you’re older and they want a younger costar that is not how life goes i will not watch the show
Cristina set the bar as high as it can be set. Shame on the one who made this insane decision. Mark is great, Debbie’s ok but she’s no Cristina. You need her back or your show won’t see season 6. I like the others on the show; but, I LOVED Cristina. She brings an air of elegance and can be as “down home” as she needs to be. You don’t learn elegance. You are born with it or not. Good luck to Debbie. She’s sweet, but she’s NOT Cristina.
I feel everyone is unnatural and their performance on the show is tense, possibly wondering when the same “fire” will happen to them. I’m sad for the channell because the programs’s producers lost respect due to not following #Hallmarks# character.
Very disappointed. Show is not the same.
I will not watch the show anymore. Sometimes networks think replacing people for younger ones is the rich thing to do. It is the opposite this is an insult to loyal viewers like me. Shame on you people. Me, my family and friends will never watch the show again.
I haven’t watched. It anymore. She was the show…the spirit of the show. Cristina is sweet and genuine! Greatly missed! Mark and new host lack something, truthfully.
decided to get cable again after 2 years gone. was looking forward to watching the show because i’ve always liked cristina. not seeing her on show, really hard for me to get into the show like before. have always had a lot of respect for hallmark and what i thought was high amount of integrity, but now, wondering about how high after all. hate to rush judgement, but one has to wonder nowadays.
MISS CRISTINA… do not enjoy the show anymore… too plain, Cristina brought her love and life to the show… won’t be watching anymore. Been hard to see how she was ousted–no explanations…etc… SAD for the way it happened. LOVE TO Cristina… ever more… hope to see you on something else soon !!!!! HUGS !!!
Very disappointed in Home & Family Show. Cristina Ferrare has been in television cohosting shows for a very long time so she does know what she is doing. I really like this show but I will definitely stop watching this show.
Makes one wonder if this was due to age by bringing in one who may look younger for show performance ,. I been looking for Christina I missed that show of departure.. I do t agree with letting one go to bring in the fancy dressed younger type . Home and family has set a bad example of FAMILY. After all these years of her service and commitment .
I will not watch Home & Family anymore. I like Cristina. I think Hallmark did her wrong. She was doing a great job. The new host does not seem like a family type host. She belongs on a show that relates more to the younger generation and not to all generations.