Lawsuit claims Hallmark didn’t want to cast ‘old people’ like Lacey Chabert and Holly Robinson Peete

A former Hallmark casting director filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the network in October. The suit claims the Hallmark executive VP of programming, Lisa Hamilton Daly, told staff she wanted to “replace” “old talent,” as first reported by Variety.
Penny Perry, a 79-year-old former casting director at Hallmark, claims Hamilton Daly told staff she did not want to cast “old people,” because they do not fit the network’s image, per Variety.
Hamilton Daly then allegedly cited Holly Robinson Peete, 60, and Lacey Chabert, 42, as examples.
“Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older,” Hamilton Daly allegedly told staff, the suit claims, per Variety.
About Robinson Peete, Hamilton Daly allegedly said, “No one wants her because she’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore,” the outlet reported.
Chabert has starred in more than 40 Hallmark movies and is often referred to as the “Queen of Hallmark Christmas Movies,” per Collider. Robinson Peete has starred in several Hallmark mystery movies, holiday movies and worked as an executive producer for the network, per Hallmark.
Hallmark denies all allegations. In a statement made to Variety and Deadline, the network said, “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.”
The suit also alleges that Perry “was unceremoniously fired in April after nine years with the company,” reports Variety.
“Unbeknownst to Ms. Perry, Ms. Hamilton Daly had it out for her and wanted to move her out of the company due to her age, and her complaints that the company was refusing to accommodate her life limiting health conditions,” the suit claims, as reported by Deadline. “In Ms. Perry’s case, there was no happy ending, and no feel-good episode to wrap up her career with Hallmark.”
Hamilton Daly allegedly called Perry “too long in the tooth” and said the network needed “to bring in someone who knows more younger talent,” the suit claims, per Deadline.
“After her wrongful termination, Ms. Perry has sent over 300 inquiries for new employment and has had no luck landing any full-time employment offers,” the suit claims, per Deadline. “Indeed, the vast majority of her contacts she made were while she was employed at Hallmark and continue to conduct business with Hallmark such that she fears that the termination and Hallmark’s defamation has put an abrupt end to her career.”
Perry is seeking “economic damages for loss of past and future earnings” from Hallmark, per Deadline.