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?
When you have a party, you invite all different types of people: the silly ones, the fun ones, the quiet ones, the smart ones, the sappy ones, the professionals, the intellectuals etc. The job of the hostess is to get the party to work and that everybody has a good time. The good hostess makes everybody feel like they belong, like they are a part of a special gathering, to make sure no one feels left out or isolated. The good hostess brings out the best in all the attendees, and makes each person feel special and welcome. Christina Ferrare… Read more »
I totally agree with your comments Valerie A. The show has and will continue to lose its spark now that the suits at Home & Family have booted Cristina. What were you thinking guys?! Hallmark has gone Hollywood and has robbed its viewers of the only good decent show that was on television!
It really was a decent program, wasn’t it? and on a lot of different levels, too. I felt so comfortable with all of them. I don’t think this show will ever be able to recoup the good feelings and the decency it had when Christina was there. Not ever.
This was a big mistake by Hallmark. She made the show and the ratings will soon reflect that. They always made it seem like they were one big happy family. This is not how you treat family. Though Debbie is a good contributor to the show she was basically hired because she was younger. It is typical Hollywood. Very sad
Not being a part of the production, we have very little idea of what was happening behind the scenes, but the feeling of a loving family is certainly what the show projected. Cristina was the calm and classy center of the show. She and Mark appeared to really care about the show and each other. Debbie is not, in my opinion, a good substitute for the class act that Cristina was. I have watched the show in the few weeks without Cristina and it appears to be flailing. Debbie has dominated all of the interviews, even when it appears that… Read more »
I am sad and will miss Christina. She is a warm and authentic person. I loved her cooking and her sweet personality. I wish her the very best. Not sure how much I will watch now – she really made the show.
I felt Cristina had a gift to all ages because of her being older she could relate and share….theres so many times watching the show I have laughed hard I cried I loved the games that were played I was there with everyone else..I really felt like a member…of this family I recorded ever show I never missed on a show.
My opinion Debbie can be over powering
I don’t feel her softness that Cristina had.
Im no longer watching the show…I turned it on a couple of days ago 5 minutes was all could handle
I have enjoyed watching Cristina on various talk shows over many years but Home and Family seemed such a perfect fit for her sweet and loving personality. Apparently the network believes replacing her with Debbie will appeal to younger viewers. I liked Debbie well enough as a contributor but dislike this ‘All About Eve’ BTS machinations! So I will no longer continue to be a loyal, regular viewer of Home and Family. Perhaps Kym Douglas should watch her back, too? Hopefully Cristina will be offered another job by a network that genuinely appreciates her!
Christina made the show what it is. ill not watch anymore…Bad chose for co-host. should leave well enough alone.
I will not watch it anymore I really liked Cristina. Hope it goes off air.
I’m so sorry to see Christina leave the program. I don’t watch it anymore because I miss the warmth and grace she brought to the program.
This is so horrible that i have sworn off ever watching the show again. Typical of television to replace a classy gorgeous mature woman with a stringy-haired long legged young woman with very little class!!!!!
The biggest irony is that Dolly Parton chose Home and Family for the Dollywood shows because of Christina! They stood on that Dollywood stage and discussed why she chose the show for her feature, and they also talked about the “family-like” feel of the show. I doubt Parton would have chosen the show based on what is going on now. I am sure the Dollywood shows were rated high too, so why this horrible treatment for Christina? It is fast becoming the Debbie show because Mark barely gets a word in now. I also notice Kym Douglas is not on… Read more »
i will miss Christina on the show, when she got the job when Page left i was glad she was chosen…i loved how she decorated and her cooking with the guest, how she loved the holidays and her and kym together, Debbie is ok but not like christina, its wrong why they would let her go. I remember her from the first home and family. she is a lovely and mature lady!!!!
So, so sorry to see Cristina being replaced, Debbie is no Cristina. I feel Hallmark has made a BIG mistake. Not sure if I’ll be watching so much. Loved the week at Dollywood. Why wasn’t there a proper send off for Cristina… Shame, shame on Hallmark..,I also enjoyed when Chistina’s daughters were on. I also have noticed Hallmark movies have been hard to watch 7 min, of story and 5 min. of commercials. Don’t like the new direction of Hallmark…
I am very sorry to see Christina leave she was the home and family anchor with Mark Steines however Debbie matenopoulos is very talented and I will never stop watching the show for its great contributions from all walks of life the DIY Department and especiallytheir Christian attitudes please pass this on to Christina she will be missed immensely and I hope home and family will continue for a long long long long time thank you for all your talents
I have watched Home & Family since the original show and while I like Debbie no one takes the place of Cristina! We are traveling out west next year and I was going to try and get passes for the show but probably will not now. As an older women in her 60’s I could so relate with Cristina. So sad to see this happen as I was so unhappy last time the show was canceled and now am with Cristina gone.