Christmas is a time for spreading love and cheer, but recently, all we ever seem to be hearing about is controversy and hate.
Two weeks ago, Peloton came under fire for it's new Christmas commercial, as people deemed it sexist and unnecessary. A young, slim mom working out and vlogging it for her husband to watch? Big yikes. But just when you thought nothing could ever top that mess, Hallmark swept in to steal the crown. The channel has recently been in the midst of some drama with the activist group, One Million Moms, and it seems as if the network has backed down first. But there's a shocking twist to this tale that includes big-name celebrities such as Ellen Degeneres.
Keep scrolling to find out all the details including a look at the video that caused all the chaos...
Hallmark is currently trending on social media platforms...
via: Twitter
And not for the right reasons. The network is being criticized for its decision-making skills after they decided to pull the plug on their latest advertisements."Why?" I hear you ask.
Because they featured same-sex couples in their latest ads for the wedding planner website, Zola. Yes, that's right. Homophobic much?But the network was forced to after an immense amount of pressure.
via: YouTube
Their controversial decision comes after the activist group, One Million Moms, targetted pressure towards the company. They started urging Hallmark not to release these videos as their group, along with Lifesite, strongly oppose same-sex marriage.They didn't want to LGBTQ+ group to gain any more attention.
via: YouTube
In the end, the network pulled the plug on the commercials for Zola and released a statement in which they clarified their reasons for doing so.They wrote the following:
via: YouTube
"Crown Media Family Networks made the decision to pull the commercials. The debate surrounding these commercials on all sides was distracting from the purpose of our network, which is to provide entertainment value." Sounds like they're using CMFN as a scapegoat because of the social pressure...However, Zola countered their statement with this response:
via: YouTube
"All kisses, couples and marriages are equal celebrations of love and we will no longer be advertising on Hallmark."They made sure to emphasize that they would not be using Hallmark anymore.
via: YouTube
Zola's chief marketing officer Mike Chi elaborated: "The only difference between the commercials that were flagged and the ones that were approved was that the commercials that did not meet Hallmark’s standards included a lesbian couple kissing.""Hallmark approved a commercial where a heterosexual couple kissed."
via: YouTube
After the news reached social media, which was pretty quickly, people called out the network for their decision. The hashtag "#BoycottHallmarkChannel" immediately started trending.Hallmark asked fans to join them to watch some Christmas classics...
@hallmarkchannel @britbristow @mattcohen4real Gonna pass. Watching your holiday movies with my daughter was a tradi… https://t.co/hwJacam9U1— Carol Lloyd Neill (@Carol Lloyd Neill)1576368617.0
Hallmark seems to be a very messy company...
Hallmark not only have you not given poc a fair number of roles over the years now you are letting a hate group pre… https://t.co/9P264v8ApW— YangGangUBIForAll🧢 (@YangGangUBIForAll🧢)1576416715.0
Even celebrities piped up against them.
Isn’t it almost 2020? @hallmarkchannel, @billabbottHC... what are you thinking? Please explain. We’re all ears.— Ellen DeGeneres (@Ellen DeGeneres)1576370102.0
And she wasn't the only one...
Titles Featuring Lesbians Joyfully Existing And Also It’s Christmas Can We Just Let People Love Who They Love 🎥 Le… https://t.co/gS7Qt8O7Ip— Netflix (@Netflix)1576370738.0
And Hallmark's other rival, Freeform also got in on the action.
This is what happens when you focus all your energy on exclusion instead of clever plotlines. Call us, @Zola. We ce… https://t.co/nIVpAK6NTL— Freeform (@Freeform)1576376714.0