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?
I will watch Home and Family when you have a guest on that I want to see. I have nothing against Debbie but I don’t think she is comfortable in front of the camera and she and Mark do not have chemistry. Maybe that will change in time but Home and Family may not have the time for her to grow into the job. I hope Cristina’s age isn’t why you replaced her as I am betting most of your viewership is women over 50.
I didn’t turn it on at all today. The flow of the show is gone. Hallmark needs some new CEOs. Kym or Sophie would have made better co-hosts IMO.
It’s so sad that the network would let Christina go. If it’s suppose to be a family, snce when do you get rid of your older members ? She brought so much to the show and her and Mark had such wonderful chemistry. Bad decision ! Now the show doesn’t represent all ages, just the young people with children.
I took a week’s vacation to stay home and watch Christmas in July movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel. Last year, Home and Family featured all kinds of Christmas crafts, food, and entertainment to coincide with the movies. This year being able to watch Home and Family was supposed to be icing on the cake, but after just two days of the “new” host combo, my interest has totally disappeared. Cristina’s absence has totally destroyed the show for me. I’ve heard that the “network” wanted a new face?! WHY? There are a few other faces that could stand to… Read more »
Was Christina let-go because of her prayer on the last day at Dollywood?
I missed that episode. What was the prayer? She prays every year on the Christmas special though and she wasn’t let go before now. I wish they had kept her on. That person who said Kym or Sophie would have worked better than Debbie, I agree totally!
Nothing against Debbie, but the show is just not the same without Cristina. She and Mark had a great chemistry. Cristina brought a certain class and “homey” feel to the show. She even decorated the house every week with her own personal touch. Audience identifies with her better. I think it was a big mistake.
I am so very upset that I won’t watch the show ever again. It was my very favorite show that I looked forward to every single day but no longer. The show is a mess without Cristina ferrare. What a stupid thing to do!
So sorry to see Christina go from Home & Family. I will not watch anymore. She was the show. The new co host is so fake and tries to hard. It was so a mistake to let Christina go!
I will not watch the show anymore. Christina was the show. Mark is immature and Debbie is even worse. She is so fake, clings to everyone and thinks she knows everything. I dread it when she’s on the show so I will not continue to watch it. You have really blown it. I think more than you know. It was a terrible decision. Christina is by far the best female on TV. I’ve been waiting for Christina to return and am devastated that she is not returning. How can I contact her?
I think that Ann hit the nail on the head in her description of Debbie. She described her perfectly!! I cannot stand to watch her. She gets on my nerves. I thought it was better before she TOOk OVER. Your mature audience is not going to accept that type of shallowness.
Whoops..it’s Christina, of course, not Christine. Comments stand as originally written.
I LOVE Christine Ferrare and feel the show will not have the same “flavor” without her. I think it was a mistake to take her off the show. Not sure if I will continue to watch. Christine has a warmth and enthusiasm that is irreplaceable.
The show was a regular program for me and told others about it. Christina was why I continued to watch the show. She won my heart from the start. I never really liked Mark. He seems the “career climber” type and treacherous, a back-stabber. Debbie is definitely not the replacement. She lacks the grace and style that comes with maturity. The show appears to be trying to give itself a facelift by bringing on the 20s and 30s group and being peppy, fast, so-called up with the times. Mistake. The people watching the program regularly are generally at home or… Read more »
I do not have the same interest in Home and Family since Cristina is gone. She is so gracious, kind, and classy. It just isn’t the same. I was so disappointed that Mark kept saying Cristina was taking some time off. That sounded very strange. Then I found out she was gone. I have no desire to watch the program anymore.
This is an addition to the comments that I made earlier today. I have been watching Home and Family since it started and I was really happy that they hired Christina after the other Paige left and was pleasantly surprised that the mixture of a younger man and older woman really met the needs off your audience. I think being too perky is a mistake. Christina brought experience and grace to the show thus made It very balanced. For the last week without her it wasn’t the same. It really lacked the substance It had before as it was too… Read more »
Done with hallmark! Cristina has so much class, she was the reason I watched the show. Hallmark thinks she’s to old.
Very disappointed that they chose Debbie . She couldn’t make it on the other shows she was on,there’s a reason. I will not be watching the show anymore. If they thought Christina was to old then the show is going to have to get rid of a couple other people too.i won’t name names. Not everyone thinks that really young people are better, they have a lot to learn. Christina added a lot of class to the show , which is now lacking.