Hallmark Getting Heat for Not Wanting to Cast ‘Old People’

Hallmark is facing a new age discrimination lawsuit as a former casting director for the studio claims executive VP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly told staff she did not want to cast “old people” in the channel’s original shows and films.

Penny Perry, a 79-year-old casting director, filed the lawsuit on Oct. 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court, according to court documents obtained by Variety. In the suit, Perry alleges Hamilton Daly singled out Hallmark Channel regulars Holly Robinson Peete, 60, and Lacey Chabert, 42, as “old talent” who needed to be “replaced.”

“Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older,” Hamilton Daly allegedly said. Of Robinson Peete, who has starred in Hallmark Christmas films like Holiday Heritage and Our Christmas Journey, the executive VP is accused of saying, “No one wants her because she’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore.”

Perry alleges that she was also a victim of age discrimination after being fired abruptly in April after nine years with the company. The industry veteran, who previously worked on films like The NeverEnding Story and Young Guns, also claimed that Hallmark failed to accommodate her disability, as she suffers from multiple sclerosis and is legally blind in one eye.

Hamilton Daly is accused of having told Perry repeatedly that she was “too long in the tooth,” pushing her out in favor of “new talent.” The executive, who was hired in September 2021 after previously working at Netflix and A+E Networks, allegedly said, “We need to bring in someone who knows more young talent. Our leading ladies are aging out.”

Perry’s suit alleges that Hamilton Daly decided that Perry was “too old to work in her position and maneuvered to push her out of the company,” moving her office to a different floor, excluding her from meetings and assigning her casting duties to an outside consultant before she was fired. After Perry’s firing, the company allegedly hired a younger man in her position.

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