‘The Holiday Ster’: Hallmark Debuts Gay Rom-Com this Sunday – Deadle

Contents:

• HALLMARK PREMIER S FIRST LGBTQ HOLIDAY MOVIE WH A GAY LEAD UPLE
• MAKE THE YULETI GAY WH THE NEW LGBTQ CHRISTMAS MOVI
• JONATHAN BENT WANTED TO CREATE A GAY UNCLE BUCK FOR THE HOLIDAY STER
• SHOP 'GMA3' POWER HOUR ALS FOR LABOR DAY!OPEN MENUVIOSHOPCULTUREFAYWELLNSFOODLIVGSTYLETRAVELNEWSBOOK CLUBGMA3: WYNTKNEWSLETTERPRIVACY POLICYYOUR US STATE PRIVACY RIGHTSCHILDREN'S ONLE PRIVACY POLICYINTERT-BASED ADSTERMS OF USEDO NOT SELL MY INFOCONTACT USCOPYRIGHT © 2023 ABC NEWS INTER VENTUR. ALL RIGHTS RERVED.SEARCHCULTUREHALLMARK ANNOUNC PLANS TO BUT 'LGBTQ STORYL, CHARACTERS AND ACTORS'2:14HALLMARK CHANNEL BYGOOD MORNG AMERIJULY 16, 2020, 7:15 PM•3 M READHALLMARK MOVI WILL BE MORE DIVERSE THE NEAR FUTURE.ON THURSDAY, AMID CRICISM THAT NONE OF THE PANY'S 40 UPG HOLIDAY MOVI FEATURE AN LGBTQ LEAD, A HALLMARK CHANNEL SPOKPERSON TOLD "GOOD MORNG AMERI" THAT CHANGE IS G.IN THE G MONTHS, THE REPRENTATIVE SAID, HALLMARK WILL MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT "PROJECTS FEATURG LGBTQ STORYL, CHARACTERS AND ACTORS.""DIVERSY AND CLN IS A TOP PRRY FOR ," READ THE PANY'S STATEMENT. "WE ARE MTED TO CREATG A HALLMARK EXPERIENCE WHERE EVERYONE FEELS WELE."EDOR’S PICKSHALLMARK CHANNEL SCHL MARATHON OF FEEL-GOOD HOLIDAY MOVI AMID MASS SELF-QUARANTEMAR 19, 2020HALLMARK CHANNEL APOLOGIZ FOR PULLG GAY-THEMED WEDDG ADDEC 15, 2019THE BT HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVI, ACRDG TO EXPERTS DEC 25, 2018LAST YEAR, HALLMARK APOLOGIZED FOR REMOVG A ZOLA MERCIAL THAT FEATURED A GAY UPLE AMID PLATS OM ONE MILLN MOMS, A NSERVATIVE GROUP THAT IS A PART OF THE AMERIN FAY ASSOCIATN. HALLMARK'S PARENT PANY, CROWN MEDIA, ALSO VOWED TO PARTNER WH LGBTQ ADVOCY GROUP GLAAD "TO BETTER REPRENT THE LGBTQ MUNY ACROSS OUR PORTFOL OF BRANDS.""THE CROWN MEDIA TEAM HAS BEEN AGONIZG OVER THIS CISN AS WE'VE SEEN THE HURT HAS UNTENTNALLY ED. SAID SIMPLY, THEY BELIEVE THIS WAS THE WRONG CISN," HALLMARK CARDS CEO MIKE PERRY SAID A STATEMENT AT THE TIME. "WE ARE TLY SORRY FOR THE HURT AND DISAPPOTMENT THIS HAS ED.""ACROSS OUR BRAND, WE WILL NTUE TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO BE MORE CLIVE AND CELEBRATE OUR DIFFERENC," HE ADD.MORE: HALLMARK MEDIA CEO LEAV, MONTH AFTER SAME-SEX AD BACKLASHHALLMARK'S "COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS" MOVI AND HALLMARK MOVI & MYSTERI' ANCHISE "MIRACL OF CHRISTMAS" WILL KICK OFF FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23. SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS CLU: HALLMARK CHANNEL· "A ROYAL HOLIDAY," STARRG LRA OSN, AARON TVE AND KRYSTAL JOY BROWN· "JGLE BELL BRI," STARRG JULIE GONZALO AND RONNIE ROWE· "A CHRISTMAS TREE GROWS BROOKLYN," STARRG ROCHELLE AYT AND MARK TAYLOR· "IF I ONLY HAD CHRISTMAS," STARRG CANDACE CAMERON BURE· "DELIVER BY CHRISTMAS," STARRG ALVA AUGT AND EN BAILEY· "ON THE 12TH DATE OF CHRISTMAS," STARRG MALLORY JANSEN AND TYLER HYN· "CHRISTMAS WALTZ," STARRG LACEY CHABERT· "CHRISTMAS VIENNA," STARRG SARAH DREW AND BRENNAN ELLTT· "CHRISTMAS EVERGREEN 4," STARRG RIYA BERNARD AND HOLLY ROBSON PEETE· "CHATE CHRISTMAS," STARRG MERRT PATTERSON AND LE MACFARLANE· "CROSS COUNTRY CHRISTMAS," STARRG RACHAEL LEIGH COOK· "CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL," STARRG TAMERA MOWRY-HOLEY· "WHEN CALLS THE HEART CHRISTMAS 2020," STARRG ER KRAKOW, PASLE HUTTON, JACK WAGNER, KAVAN SMH, CHRIS MCNALLY, KEV MCGARRY, PL GREENE, ANDREA BROOKS AND MART CUMMSHALLMARK MOVI & MYSTERI· "CHRISTMAS TREE LANE," STARRG ALICIA WT AND ANDREW WALKER· "HOLLY & IVY," STARRG JANEL PARRISH, JEREMY JORDAN, AND MARISOL NICHOLS· "THE CHRISTMAS BOW," STARRG LUCIA MIRELLI AND MICHAEL RADY· "CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS," STARRG NIKKI DELOACH AND BENJAM AYR· "CHRISTMAS DOCTOR," STARRG HOLLY ROBSON PEETEEDOR’S PICKSHALLMARK CHANNEL SCHL MARATHON OF FEEL-GOOD HOLIDAY MOVI AMID MASS SELF-QUARANTEMAR 19, 2020HALLMARK CHANNEL APOLOGIZ FOR PULLG GAY-THEMED WEDDG ADDEC 15, 2019THE BT HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVI, ACRDG TO EXPERTS DEC 25, 2018UP NEXT CULTURE—KRIST CHENOWETH ON WHY ARIANA GRAN STARRG THE 'WICKED' FILMS IS 'FULL CIRCLE'SEPTEMBER 4, 2023BURNA BOY'S NEW ALBUM 'I TOLD THEM…' REMDS WHY HE'S 'ST' ON TOP OF THE WORLD'SEPTEMBER 1, 2023TOM HOLLAND SHAR SWEET PHOTOS OF GIRLIEND ZENDAYA ON HER BIRTHDAY: SEE THE PICTUR SEPTEMBER 1, 2023MEG RYAN ON HER SON'S REACTN TO 'WHEN HARRY MET SALLY' KATZ'S DELI SCENE, NEW ROM SEPTEMBER 1, 2023UP NEXT CULTURE—KRIST CHENOWETH ON WHY ARIANA GRAN STARRG THE 'WICKED' FILMS IS 'FULL CIRCLE'SEPTEMBER 4, 2023BURNA BOY'S NEW ALBUM 'I TOLD THEM…' REMDS WHY HE'S 'ST' ON TOP OF THE WORLD'SEPTEMBER 1, 2023TOM HOLLAND SHAR SWEET PHOTOS OF GIRLIEND ZENDAYA ON HER BIRTHDAY: SEE THE PICTUR SEPTEMBER 1, 2023MEG RYAN ON HER SON'S REACTN TO 'WHEN HARRY MET SALLY' KATZ'S DELI SCENE, NEW ROM SEPTEMBER 1, 2023
• HALLMARK'S FIRST GAY CHRISTMAS MOVIE IS HERE — AND GEE KRISSA IS OVERJOYED TO BE A PART OF

HALLMARK PREMIER S FIRST LGBTQ HOLIDAY MOVIE WH A GAY LEAD UPLE

However, ’s a good first step that there are even enough movi for me to create this list of Hallmark movi wh gay characters. Most gay characters and upl the movi are whe and male. Let’s be clear, as of the start of 2021, no Hallmark movie has featured gay characters as leads.

No matter what official Hallmark reps say, The Christmas Hoe and Mix Up the Mederranean do not feature gay leads. While I tly enjoyed The Christmas Hoe and loved seeg the happily married gay uple, they played send-fiddle to the ma straight uple’s romantic storyle.

It jt so happens that Jeremy Jordan, who is playg that straight man is also playg his gay tw. This do not qualify as a gay lead character, and dog the bare mimum isn’t enarg Hallmark to anyone.

MAKE THE YULETI GAY WH THE NEW LGBTQ CHRISTMAS MOVI

The only memorable thg about this movie was one of the only tim a Hallmark character has said “I am gay. Y, back 2012, Hallmark premiered a Christmas movie which the sister proclaimed she was gay. At first, I thought was jt a way to keep a man om htg on her, but an earlier scene shows that she actually is gay.

JONATHAN BENT WANTED TO CREATE A GAY UNCLE BUCK FOR THE HOLIDAY STER

It also had the most subtle ht of a gay uple I have ever seen on TV. This movie also marks the first time a gay uple has shared an on-screen kiss on any Hallmark work.

Though there is no POC love tert as of yet, Dani McKellar’s Kayleigh was given a gay bt iend, which for Hallmark is a gigantic step forward. My only knock on the movie is how Hallmark attempted to market as the work’s first movie wh gay leads. This is the send Kimberly Stad/Pl Campbell llaboratn that has clud a gay uple.

I love how they’re slowg chippg away at archaic notns of love one edy and one gay character at a time. For Lifetime, which last year had “The Christmas Setup, ” the channel’s first-ever movie starrg gay leads, the move was a big one: the premiere of “Unr the Christmas Tree, ” s first movie featurg lbians as the uple at the center of a holiday romance.

SHOP 'GMA3' POWER HOUR ALS FOR LABOR DAY!OPEN MENUVIOSHOPCULTUREFAYWELLNSFOODLIVGSTYLETRAVELNEWSBOOK CLUBGMA3: WYNTKNEWSLETTERPRIVACY POLICYYOUR US STATE PRIVACY RIGHTSCHILDREN'S ONLE PRIVACY POLICYINTERT-BASED ADSTERMS OF USEDO NOT SELL MY INFOCONTACT USCOPYRIGHT © 2023 ABC NEWS INTER VENTUR. ALL RIGHTS RERVED.SEARCHCULTUREHALLMARK ANNOUNC PLANS TO BUT 'LGBTQ STORYL, CHARACTERS AND ACTORS'2:14HALLMARK CHANNEL BYGOOD MORNG AMERIJULY 16, 2020, 7:15 PM•3 M READHALLMARK MOVI WILL BE MORE DIVERSE THE NEAR FUTURE.ON THURSDAY, AMID CRICISM THAT NONE OF THE PANY'S 40 UPG HOLIDAY MOVI FEATURE AN LGBTQ LEAD, A HALLMARK CHANNEL SPOKPERSON TOLD "GOOD MORNG AMERI" THAT CHANGE IS G.IN THE G MONTHS, THE REPRENTATIVE SAID, HALLMARK WILL MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT "PROJECTS FEATURG LGBTQ STORYL, CHARACTERS AND ACTORS.""DIVERSY AND CLN IS A TOP PRRY FOR ," READ THE PANY'S STATEMENT. "WE ARE MTED TO CREATG A HALLMARK EXPERIENCE WHERE EVERYONE FEELS WELE."EDOR’S PICKSHALLMARK CHANNEL SCHL MARATHON OF FEEL-GOOD HOLIDAY MOVI AMID MASS SELF-QUARANTEMAR 19, 2020HALLMARK CHANNEL APOLOGIZ FOR PULLG GAY-THEMED WEDDG ADDEC 15, 2019THE BT HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVI, ACRDG TO EXPERTS DEC 25, 2018LAST YEAR, HALLMARK APOLOGIZED FOR REMOVG A ZOLA MERCIAL THAT FEATURED A GAY UPLE AMID PLATS OM ONE MILLN MOMS, A NSERVATIVE GROUP THAT IS A PART OF THE AMERIN FAY ASSOCIATN. HALLMARK'S PARENT PANY, CROWN MEDIA, ALSO VOWED TO PARTNER WH LGBTQ ADVOCY GROUP GLAAD "TO BETTER REPRENT THE LGBTQ MUNY ACROSS OUR PORTFOL OF BRANDS.""THE CROWN MEDIA TEAM HAS BEEN AGONIZG OVER THIS CISN AS WE'VE SEEN THE HURT HAS UNTENTNALLY ED. SAID SIMPLY, THEY BELIEVE THIS WAS THE WRONG CISN," HALLMARK CARDS CEO MIKE PERRY SAID A STATEMENT AT THE TIME. "WE ARE TLY SORRY FOR THE HURT AND DISAPPOTMENT THIS HAS ED.""ACROSS OUR BRAND, WE WILL NTUE TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO BE MORE CLIVE AND CELEBRATE OUR DIFFERENC," HE ADD.MORE: HALLMARK MEDIA CEO LEAV, MONTH AFTER SAME-SEX AD BACKLASHHALLMARK'S "COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS" MOVI AND HALLMARK MOVI & MYSTERI' ANCHISE "MIRACL OF CHRISTMAS" WILL KICK OFF FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23. SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS CLU: HALLMARK CHANNEL· "A ROYAL HOLIDAY," STARRG LRA OSN, AARON TVE AND KRYSTAL JOY BROWN· "JGLE BELL BRI," STARRG JULIE GONZALO AND RONNIE ROWE· "A CHRISTMAS TREE GROWS BROOKLYN," STARRG ROCHELLE AYT AND MARK TAYLOR· "IF I ONLY HAD CHRISTMAS," STARRG CANDACE CAMERON BURE· "DELIVER BY CHRISTMAS," STARRG ALVA AUGT AND EN BAILEY· "ON THE 12TH DATE OF CHRISTMAS," STARRG MALLORY JANSEN AND TYLER HYN· "CHRISTMAS WALTZ," STARRG LACEY CHABERT· "CHRISTMAS VIENNA," STARRG SARAH DREW AND BRENNAN ELLTT· "CHRISTMAS EVERGREEN 4," STARRG RIYA BERNARD AND HOLLY ROBSON PEETE· "CHATE CHRISTMAS," STARRG MERRT PATTERSON AND LE MACFARLANE· "CROSS COUNTRY CHRISTMAS," STARRG RACHAEL LEIGH COOK· "CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL," STARRG TAMERA MOWRY-HOLEY· "WHEN CALLS THE HEART CHRISTMAS 2020," STARRG ER KRAKOW, PASLE HUTTON, JACK WAGNER, KAVAN SMH, CHRIS MCNALLY, KEV MCGARRY, PL GREENE, ANDREA BROOKS AND MART CUMMSHALLMARK MOVI & MYSTERI· "CHRISTMAS TREE LANE," STARRG ALICIA WT AND ANDREW WALKER· "HOLLY & IVY," STARRG JANEL PARRISH, JEREMY JORDAN, AND MARISOL NICHOLS· "THE CHRISTMAS BOW," STARRG LUCIA MIRELLI AND MICHAEL RADY· "CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS," STARRG NIKKI DELOACH AND BENJAM AYR· "CHRISTMAS DOCTOR," STARRG HOLLY ROBSON PEETEEDOR’S PICKSHALLMARK CHANNEL SCHL MARATHON OF FEEL-GOOD HOLIDAY MOVI AMID MASS SELF-QUARANTEMAR 19, 2020HALLMARK CHANNEL APOLOGIZ FOR PULLG GAY-THEMED WEDDG ADDEC 15, 2019THE BT HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVI, ACRDG TO EXPERTS DEC 25, 2018UP NEXT CULTURE—KRIST CHENOWETH ON WHY ARIANA GRAN STARRG THE 'WICKED' FILMS IS 'FULL CIRCLE'SEPTEMBER 4, 2023BURNA BOY'S NEW ALBUM 'I TOLD THEM…' REMDS WHY HE'S 'ST' ON TOP OF THE WORLD'SEPTEMBER 1, 2023TOM HOLLAND SHAR SWEET PHOTOS OF GIRLIEND ZENDAYA ON HER BIRTHDAY: SEE THE PICTUR SEPTEMBER 1, 2023MEG RYAN ON HER SON'S REACTN TO 'WHEN HARRY MET SALLY' KATZ'S DELI SCENE, NEW ROM SEPTEMBER 1, 2023UP NEXT CULTURE—KRIST CHENOWETH ON WHY ARIANA GRAN STARRG THE 'WICKED' FILMS IS 'FULL CIRCLE'SEPTEMBER 4, 2023BURNA BOY'S NEW ALBUM 'I TOLD THEM…' REMDS WHY HE'S 'ST' ON TOP OF THE WORLD'SEPTEMBER 1, 2023TOM HOLLAND SHAR SWEET PHOTOS OF GIRLIEND ZENDAYA ON HER BIRTHDAY: SEE THE PICTUR SEPTEMBER 1, 2023MEG RYAN ON HER SON'S REACTN TO 'WHEN HARRY MET SALLY' KATZ'S DELI SCENE, NEW ROM SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

Meanwhile, Hallmark ma a smaller step by settg “The Christmas Hoe 2: Deck Those Halls, ” a sequel to 2020’s “The Christmas Hoe, ” which featured Jonathan Bent and Brad Harr as a gay uple lookg to adopt. The dispary between the extents to which the Christmas-obssed ble channels are focg on LGBTQ holiday ntent 2021 is nsistent wh their rpective cisns ma on the matter last year, when Lifetime st a gay uple as leads “The Christmas Setup” and Hallmark featured s first homosexual uple as part of an ensemble “The Christmas Hoe.

“Even though we’ve got ‘Unr the Christmas Tree, ’ which is a real highlight, we’ve got several others the mix that are clive, whether they’re gay upl or jt characters, we’ve been tryg to make sure that people are reprented across the board, ” Lifetime head of programmg Amy Wter told TheWrap durg an Oct. When “The Christmas Setup, ” Lifetime’s first-ever movie starrg gay leads, played by married--real-life uple Ben Lewis and Blake Lee, buted last year, Wter told TheWrap she had been lookg for a project starrg LGBTQ leads for some time, but was very agast somethg “really sacchare.

“The fact that big Hallmark — the greetg-rd divisn — overturned Bill Abbott’s cisn on the Zola ad shows that the pany is ser about diversy their mographics, and we’re seeg lots of baby steps the 2020 and 2021 movi wh gay and lbian B-stori. (Durg the Abbott era, spottg a queer uple was like tryg to fd a gay character a 1940s movie that somehow slipped past the Productn Co. The Hallmark Channel is gettg to the gay Christmas a part of s Countdown to Christmas event, Hallmark Channel has announced s first Christmas movie that foc on a gay Holiday Ster will be released on December 11 on The Hallmark Channel and will star Mean Girls alum Jonathan Bent, Gee Krissa, and Chelsea — Becky VanValkenburg (@Becky VanValkenburg).

HALLMARK'S FIRST GAY CHRISTMAS MOVIE IS HERE — AND GEE KRISSA IS OVERJOYED TO BE A PART OF

He mak the trip wh his hband Jake, played by Brad Harr, and the pair wa to hear about the possible adoptn of their first 's only September, but wh Hallmark announcg s slate of holiday movi, and other platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Lifetime havg also announced holiday movi and specials, so far, The Holiday Ster is the only one to foc on gay characters. Startg 2020, Christmas was for the gays.

RELATED | 23 Christmas Songs by LGBTQ+ Artists to Make the Yuleti Gay. Canadian actor Jake Foy is makg wav for playg the openly gay wboy Tuff McMurray on Hallmark's newt wtern seri, Ri.