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 am very sad that Cristina is gone, but I love Debbie too. I wish Cristina the best and hope she will consider coming back for cooking segments !
Cristina is a beautiful soul and she made that show what it was, just by being her. She did not deserve to be fired and the way “Home & Family” handled it, but saying she was on “vacation” for two weeks and then all of the sudden, saying she left and making it look like it was Cristina who chose to leave…not good at all. Very bad handling of this by Hallmark Channel. Also, Debbie is a poor co-host for that program. I will no longer watch and as far as I’m concerned, this is where “Home & Family” has… Read more »
Why couldn’t they at least say goodbye to Christina?
Woody , you should be let go. Immediately. Quietly. Take a long “vacation”. You made an executive decision to fire Cristina and replace her with Debbie and you gave no reason to the people who matter the most, your viewers. Cristina is the lovely lady-of-the-“Home and Family” and todays show was lack-luster at best. It felt as if a death had occurred and no one wanted to speak of it. With no disrespect to you personally, you must be totally unaware that you had a good thing going and your program was like a visit with good friends. But now… Read more »
Cindy, you have said exactly what so many are thinking. I am very disappointed at this action.
VERY WELL SAID!
Wow, do I agree with you!! And look what happened to Jessie Jane and Tanya Memme. Not one mention of them at all!! They just “disappeared,” along with Laura Nativo, too (I guess)? Not a happy family, is it?
Well said!!!!!
I CANT BELIEVE THEY WOULD GET RID OF CHRISTINA!!! Debbie is loud and not a good fit with Mark! What a blow to the fans, I won’t be watching anymore!
Bring Christina back, the show will not be the same. I like Debbie, but Christina should not be replaced
I have stopped watching. How can you fire the “Mom” of a show?
So true! She was the heart of that show!
I also like Debbie but really enjoy Christina and love her cooking segments. Shocked to hear she was let go and sad. Disappointed in Home and Family
I love Cristina and you can see she is a professional! I will miss her terribly from her flower arrangements to her “joist” foods! I’m a little angry that Hallmark let her go! I’m not sure I will continue to watch H&F without her because she MADE the show. GIve her a show of her own if Hallmark is smart and wants future viewers!!! it’s a sad day…
The only reason I watched was because of Christina. She brings beauty, elegance, humor and maturity to a show that without her? It’s just an ordinary daily show. I won’t be watching it again. Her smile is beautiful. Her compassion ? True to the heart. Sorry. But she will be missed and the show will lose viewers. Hopefully millions of them. Why fix something that ain’t broken?????? Unbelievable.
So agree!
Agree with this post!!!
The lights have gone out for good at HF. Only a matter of time now… I recently saw the 1969 movie “Hello Dolly.” Is it just me or is Kym a dead ringer for Minnie Fay played by E.J. Peaker? Speaking of Kym, what she won’t do for camera time and a paycheck. I don’t think of “of beauty experts” as being clowns. She is being asked to get goofier and goofier and she goes along with it. Couldn’t take her seriously. With today’s announcement, DM was beaming. Tears all dried up? Looks like Orly has been “promoted” to the… Read more »
I agree with you 100%!!!
I agree. Kym gets to me also. She’s one of the reasons I set the DVR! I don’t have to listen/watch her!
Please bring her back. Everyone loves her. Such a sincere dear person. I will lose interest real fast without her being there.
Loved Christina and it will not ever be the same. How could this happen?
I was SHOCKED to learn that Christina was tired. If your goal is to reach the younger group good luck. Christina represented a lot of us out here the ones that watch your show. So I wonder if Kym is the next one to be fired. Get rid of those stupid games.
I agree with you and I also wish they’d stop the games. I always fast-forward through them, but I guess I won’t have to do that anymore since I won’t be recording the show now that Cristina is gone. She made it all worth watching and I’m sick of the networks for catering to the young folks and leaving the older ones (like me) with nothing decent to watch. After all, we have more time to watch and more money to spend on their advertisers’ products!
I don’t agree at all with this decision. I tape this show I didn’t watch much when Christina wasn’t on for some reason. She MADE the show. She’s so natural. Debbie is a phoney. I’m taking it off my ‘recording’ list. Bye bye Home and Family, if that’s the way you treat your co hosts, I don’t need to watch anymore. Adios.