Home & Family has a new co-host. Today, the Hallmark Channel announced Debbie Matenopoulos will replace Cristina Ferrare as co-host of the daytime talk show.
Ferrare has hosted the series alongside Mark Steines since 2012.
Read the full details below:
STUDIO CITY, CA, June 21, 2016 – Cristina Ferrare, longtime co-host of Hallmark Channel’s Daytime Emmy®-nominated daily series “Home & Family,” will depart the network’s popular original lifestyle program, it was announced today by Hallmark Channel. The network also announced that current “Home & Family” member Debbie Matenopoulos will immediately join Emmy® Award-winning journalist and series co-host Mark Steines as the series’ new co-host.
“Cristina Ferrare has been instrumental in making ‘Home & Family’ one of daytime’s most popular lifestyle series,” said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming & Publicity, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
“Cristina’s natural flair and expertise, along with her warmth and grace, set a standard for all of us at ‘Home & Family,’ and we are forever indebted to her.
“It is a great pleasure to promote ‘Home & Family’ regular contributor Debbie Matenopoulos to become Mark’s co-host. Debbie has quickly become an audience favorite among our family of multi-talented lifestyle experts and we look forward to Debbie’s continued unique and exciting contributions going forward.”
What do you think? Do you watch Home & Family? Are you sad to see Cristina leave?
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951 Comments on "Home & Family: Original Host Cristina Ferrare Leaving Hallmark Series"
Amen to that Roberta. I still miss Christina and have also stopped watching the fiasco called Home and Family.
What a shame to fire Cristina! She was the show. I will not watch it anymore
I stopped watching Home and Family when you got rid of Christine and have not watched it since and never will unless she comes back to show.
Ditto.
It has been one year since Christina was fired . I am still sad over it and miss seeing her smiling face. I still watch Home and Family, but not on a regular basis anymore. It is not the same without Christina. Please bring her back!!
She’s gone on to better things. She’s not coming back to that disgraceful program, and I can’t blame her, although if she did come back, I would start watching again, too.
I don’t know why Cristina Ferrare was fired. She was the real reason I watched Home and Family. Now it disturbs me to see clips from the show, and I have no interest to watch the Home and Family program. I do not watch anymore. I don’t think this Debbie is as good as Cristina was. Should have left well enough alone…
I do not watch anymore. Age discrimination at its subtle best. The show is hokey.
You do know, Cristina is NOT the original host! Please research before writing
Actually, Justamea, Cristina WAS the original host from Home and Family when it was on in 96-98 with Chuck Woolery. Once they took it to Hallmark and redid it with Mark, she took Paige Davis place. Paige “left” because she was pushed out when they thought that Cristina, having been in the original show, would bring better ratings…which she did.
Christina was indeed the original host, after a couple of years was replaced with Page, and then became the host again with Mark, and now Debbie M. replaced Christina
I think you are the one that needs to do the research! Lol
The show premiered in April 1996 on The Family Channel. Cristina Ferrare and Chuck Woolery were the hosts.
No it’s not a Christian oriented show. Christina said a prayer of thanks once, and right after that, she was GONE! All the fans were wondering if that was the reason they fired her. It was probably a part of it, but ultimately it was that they wanted someone younger (who doesn’t pray) instead of Christina. Since leaving the show, Christina has been ill and under extended treatment, so it’s worked out better for her that she didn’t have the H&F rats nest to deal with on top of everything else.
OOPS!!! Didn’t mean to say “Before Christina”. Should have been BCL (Before Christina Left). But as long as I’m here again…will someone on the staff PLEASE get Debbie to stop looking at herself in the monitors? I only tune in from time to time, but she’s still doing it.
If you had been a fan BC (Before Christina), you might better understand and respect the many “negative” comments you see here. In fact, I envy your enjoyment of the show today. You have no idea how much higher the bar had been set during Christina’s time on H&F.
exactly right!
Valerie, I so agree withyour reply to Diane Thomas. I really don’t like to be mean or negative, but…. I can’t imagine someone liking this show now if they saw it when Cristina was the host. Debbie and Mark are so into themselves, rude and condescending to guests, I can’t watch it. Debbie cannot cook as well as my 11 year old grand daughter. It’s just another show with fake smiles and emotions for the camera.