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 think it is sad that this happened.she didn’t even get a goodbye show.and it is not the same without Christina.and it was poorly done.and I just can’t watch anymore.family don’t do family like this.the show is home and family.I thought.
Daytime television is mostly a wasteland now expect for PBS or Create. My electric bill will be a lot less now!
I refuse to watch since Cristina is gone. This was so wrong….completely went against values of the program. Goodbye Hallmark. Honestly getting rather fed-up with TV in general….not much of substance to watch. I’ve been getting in a lot more reading and crocheting!
As I lay here everyday, wondering how long I have left with my cancer,I so looked forward to H&F and Cristina was the best part of every show.Just as Marie’s show was cancelled with no warning,and now the sudden departure of Cristina in the same way, it’s wrong , rude and unfair to all of us as viewers. As much as I love all the other wonderful people on the show, it just won’t be the” family” without Cristina.
Big mistake letting Christina go! I do not watch the show now. It’s just not the same . Christina.and Mark made the show what it was . She brought grace, and a personal touch to the show, Debbie just can’t do. You lost the heart of the show!
BIG MISTAKE! Christina and Mark were such a good match, I am saddened to learn that the station decided to replace her. Nothing against Debbie but she just doesn’t have the same cemestry with Mark.
I feel Bad because age discrimination is illegal and continues to happen.
And it always seems to happen to women!!
No I NO LONGER WATCH! And I know a few others who no longer watch either!
I believe Cristina made the show (NOT MARK or DEBBIE) I BELIEVE THIS SHOW WILL “NOT GET RENEWED” And that will be the fault of #HomeandFamily
Very sad to Christina leave! She was a wonderful hostess! I hope she gets another tv show or her own cooking program! I have watched the show every day! I miss her
I am a kindergarten teacher and do not watch Day time TV during the school year. In the summer I value my time and only watch a certain few shows as I am busy outside or enjoying my family time.I choose my favorite shows to spend my precious time to watch. home and family was one of those shows that I enjoyed and looked forward to during my TV viewing time .I am so sad and disappointed that Christina Ferrari was replaced ,apparently for a younger woman. This a blatant case of age discrimination .she is a successful woman with… Read more »
Very well said. I fully agree with your statement. I only wish those corporste people would read some of these letters. They clearly had NO clue as to how much Christina was loved, and for so many reasons. Truly she was the heart of H&F, I stopped watching, I stopped DVRing the show. I went back to watching Rachel Ray,( whom I originally gave up watching in favor of H&F). Those people destroyed a great show, and even if Christina did return, it would never be the same.
So sorry that the powers that be at Home and Family could not see that they were ruining a good thing when they let Cristina go. She was the glue that held the show together. You know what they say “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” Well now it IS broke!!!!!!!
I think you guys are missing the boat. Who watches this show during the day? People who are retired. Stay at home moms maybe. I didn’t have time to watch a daily show raising my kids. Cristina exhibited grace and style and I thought were the same age. I can do this too!! I still love the she. Debbie is too bebop for me. Mark and Cristina just complimented each other so well. Big mistake Hallmark Channel!!
I think Hallmark has given in to the stereo type to keep up with so called younger audience. The show has lost its heart as well as what appears to be many followers. There is not the same feel to the show and I have lost interest in watching as well. Nothing against Debbie but she lacks the family feel that Cristina brought to the show.
I am extremely sorry Christina has been taken off the show. She lended class & beauty to the program. Personally I enjoyed having a host who brought her life experiences to more mature viewers like myself.
I agree with the others. I think Christina should stay. The new co-host does not have the same “chemistry” with Mark and their dialogue seems strained and disjointed. I do not watch anymore. I tried for a couple of weeks, but I feel uncomfortable watching the new co-host. I felt like Christina was a “regular” family gal and I could connect with her. The new co-host was fine as a contributor, but there was always Christina to “tie it all together”. The Hallmark people made a mistake. Why change the formula when it was working so well?
I think you have your information wrong. Cristina was “let go” because she was too old. Watch the Maria Shriver & Cristina Ferrare video, Maria says Cristina was fired because she was too old.
Boo! Hiss! The Home and Family show has lost it’s appeal and heart! The producers who made the brainless decision to let Cristina go and replace her with that annoying Debbie ought to be fired. The network has gone to the dogs, the way they just made Cedar Cove and now Cristina just go away with nary a word. How rude and disrespectful to them and us, the faithful audience. But, faithful no more! They have turned me and others off for good and for what? The love of money and worship of the youth culture! You people at Hallmark… Read more »
That was a good word to describe Debbie. What is with her acting like she is the only person in the world who ever had a child. Woody, for Heaven’s sake tame her down. She is way too self centered for a host. Maybe Cristina was aging, but Debbie?????