Hallmark Hit With Age Discrimination Lawsuit, Says Studio Didn’t Want to Cast ‘Older People’

Hallmark Media, home page to the lighthearted Hallmark Channel, was accused of ageism and manufacturing “happy endings” that are “just made for TV,” while “reality TV is much more sinister.”

In a lawsuit filed Oct. 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court by VarietyPenny Perry, a 79-year-old casting director, accused the company of “age and ability harassment” and a “callous termination that robbed her of her illustrious career, her pride and her well-being.” Perry also claims the alleged conduct targeted other employees, including employees and top talent such as stars Holly Robinson Peete, 60, and Lacey Chabert, 42.

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Perry claims that Lisa Hamilton Daly, executive vice president of programming at Hallmark, said that “Lacy is getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she ages.” When referring to Peete, the lawsuit alleges that the executive said, “Nobody wants her because she’s too expensive and she’s getting too old. She can no longer play leading roles.”

After nine years with the company, Perry said she was fired in April after Hamilton Daily allegedly told her multiple times that she was “too slow” and that the company needed to “bring in someone (other than yourself) who knows more young talent.” ”

The lawsuit also claims that Hamilton Daly told the veteran casting director not to cast “old people” in Hallmark roles.

In a statement, Hallmark said: “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We generally do not comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we will not discuss an employment relationship in the media.”

Perry said she is experiencing relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and is legally blind in her left eye. In her complaint, she alleged that Hallmark failed to accommodate her shortcomings.

Senior Vice President of Programming and Development Randy Pope was also accused of being “abusive” to Perry and having “regularly tormented” her. The casting director, whose credits include Cocoon and The never ending storyclaimed that during a virtual meeting on April 10, 2024, Hamilton Daly and Hallmark human resources executive Paul Hodgkinson “ambushed” her at what she “believed to be a cast meeting” but turned out to be a “termination meeting where Ms. Daly and Mr. Hodgkinson wrongfully terminated their employment.

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