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?
It’s now April 2017 and I can not stomach the Hallmark Home and Family since Christina Ferrare was taken off the show.
All the show is now is just like every other talk show. Under the age of 30, a size 2 girl.
I’m a woman, with history and money. I would rather watch NOTHING than boaring.
Hallmark, letting Christina go was your BIGGEST MISTAKE.
Cristina Ferrare did a great job. She is better than Debbie. Big mistake to go with the younger woman. It is usually older women that are home, and we don’t want to see toothpicks representing us. We are normal women and look like Cristina not Debbie. The show just is not the same.
We also don’t care about What’s Hot and What’s not! I really don’t think that Debbie looks much younger than Cristina. She is in her 40s after all and Cristina is gorgeous, a timeless beauty. Debbie is not.
Thank you Jean! I have been thinking this all along. Debbie is in her 40’s and is not a natural beauty like Cristina. Debbie is not a young girl like people refer to her, she just acts immature.
This is very upsetting to me I’m a 58 yr old women Christina was one of the reasons I watch the show she showed how graceful and beautiful an older woman could do the job but as per Hollywood’s agenda they had to replace her with a younger woman for what reason? really I think everybody should boycott the show.
I liked Christina Ferrare as hostess of the Home & Family show. I thought her to he genuine and sincere. No reason to watch it now. It does look like age discrimination to me.
I miss Christina. I think she was a little bossy sometimes but if anybody should be fired Mark should be gone. His arrogance make me want to vomit sometimes.
I miss Christina, she’s the best. I don’t watch Home and Family since she left and I won’t watch it anymore. Bring Christina back..
I miss Christina as i thought she did a great job with Mark!! I hope she has a great life and knows we miss her.
I’m so sorry the that were let go and the show for me won’t be the same . I will not be watching it anymore without you in it.
So nice to read the comments here which mostly express a devotion to Cristina. I hope she knows how much she is missed. She was the heart of the show in my opinion, and it is just not the same without her. I like Debbie, but she seems insincere. I am a huge Hallmark fan – watch both channels, love the movies. Hallmark does so many things right, but someone got this wrong. I stopped watching and no longer DVR the show.
As a loyal Home & Family viewer (due to Kym Douglas); I am so disappointed Christina was let go. We; the fans (her fans) would have appreciated some notice Christina was leaving the show so we could properly have said our goodbyes. Why wasn’t Home & Family more thoughtful? While Debbie seems like a nice person and you were replacing Christina; why not with Kym Douglas? Kym would have been a better choice; did you even consider Kym? I mean no disrespect to Debbie, I just do not feel the chemistry between Mark and Debbie as I do with Kym… Read more »
Cristina is who made the show good. I would agree that Kym would have been a better choice but they wanted younger. The show has already lost half it’s viewers. I assume the show will tank wi5h Debbie and Mark as hosts.
Maybe they didn’t pick Kym because she wouldn’t do that to a friend? I saw the show the Dat they did the anouncement that Cristina was out and Debbie was in. Debbie was all gushing and saying how she was truly blessed to snake her friend Cristina’s job. It all hit me as heartless and cold.
I have been a fan of Christina’s her entire career
will have no need to watch that show without her
I only watched because of Christina. I no longer watch.
I miss Christina as the co-host. Debbie is OK but I watched home and family mostly for Christina. I now longer watch the program. I used to tape it so I could watch it when I got home from work. I think it was very disrespectful to faithful home and family viewers to not let them know what was going on. I finally had to google it to find out.
Personally I preferred Christina as the co-host. No disrespect to Debbie. Christina just appealed more to me. Her energy, her cooking, her way of interacting with all the hosts, and guests. I really miss seeing her on the show and don’t watch the show as much anymore.
Still haven’t watched! !! Oh how I miss Cristina! !!