Hallmark Hit With Age Discrimination Lawsuit Involving Lacey Chabert

Perhaps The substance should renounce the comedy/drama debate at the Golden Globes and entered only as a documentary. According to a new age discrimination lawsuit, Hallmark’s vice president of programming, Linda Hamilton Daly, acted much like Dennis Quaid’s character in the film and created two perfect candidates for the substance, Lacey Chabert and Holly Robinson Peete. According to to Varietythe suit claims that Hamilton Daly highlighted both Outstanding Veterans as “old talents”, saying that “old people” didn’t fit into her image of the brand and that they both needed to be “replaced” – perhaps with a younger, chemically created version of themselves?

“Lacey is getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she ages,” Hamilton Daly reportedly said of Chabert, so…yeah. This is exactly what it seems they are looking for. The suit also alleges that Hamilton Daly said of Robinson Peete: “Nobody wants her because she’s too expensive and she’s getting too old. She can no longer play leading roles.” Chabert is currently 42 years old while Robinson Peete is 60.

The lawsuit was filed by Penny Perry, a 79-year-old casting director who was fired in April after nine years with the company. According to the lawsuit, Hamilton Daly allegedly told Perry that she was “too old” and that the network needed to “bring in someone who knows more young talent.” When Hamilton Daly was hired in 2021, she allegedly decided that Perry was “too old to work in her position and maneuvered to oust her from the company,” the lawsuit continues. The casting director claims her duties were outsourced to outside consultants, and a younger man was hired to take over her role after she was fired.

Of course, Hallmark denied all of these allegations in a statement to Variety. “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark,” the network said. “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.” At least they took a lesson from The Substance: Con. Trol. Your. Self.