Whatever Happened To The Cast Of Hallmark's Home & Family?
Despite being a Hallmark channel fan-favorite talk show, "Home & Family" was canceled in early 2021. However, the show's stars haven't disappeared from the airwaves. Like many other fixtures previously linked to the channel, the show's two co-hosts and much of the rest of the cast have since moved to Hallmark's competitor, Great American Family.
News of "Home & Family" being canceled first broke in March 2021, when a spokesperson for the channel told Variety that the show would end that August. Though the statement didn't go into detail as to why the show was being pulled, it's likely pandemic restrictions played a role. As former "Home & Family" co-host Cameron Mathison shared in an interview with the "Hallmark Podcast," he believed the network using the open timeslot to screen films and series while the show was on hiatus had prompted the channel to prioritize those, going forward. Either way, he shared that the show's ending had been heartbreaking for him but that he understood the decision hadn't been an easy one to make.
Heartbreak aside, both Mathison and co-host Debbie Matenopoulos have since featured in a similar setup on Great American Family in the 2021 "Welcome to Great American Christmas" special. They were also joined by several former "Home & Family" experts, including Shirley Bovshow, Larissa Wohl, Kym Douglas, Kenneth Wingard, Maria Provenzano, and Lawrence Zarian. That said, the special was just the start of the "Home & Family" cast's relationship with Great American Family.
They've moved to Great American Community
While the "Welcome to Great American Christmas" special was limited to 2021, many of the former "Home & Family" cast members have continued in a similar format with Great American Family through the channel's streaming app, Great American Community. As noted on the channel's website, since its inception in 2022, the platform has featured several "Home & Family" alums, like Cameron Mathison, Debbie Matenopoulos, Larissa Wohl, Kym Douglas, and many others, in shorter inserts.
Of course, for lovers of the "Home & Family" and subsequent "Welcome to Great American Christmas" formats, the much shorter, solo inserts aren't quite the same. Having said that, it certainly seems as though Great American Family wouldn't rule out something bigger in the future. As quoted by Heavy, in response to a number of fans asking for a full-on talk show, the channel's Instagram account has shared that while it was too big a project for a fledgling channel, "Great American Media would love to bring a daytime show of this nature back at some point."
In the meantime, Matenopoulos says she loves the different format. Speaking to Daily Blast Live, she gushed that she was given the freedom to cover whatever she wanted on her show, "Cheerful Heart & Home." As such, she explained, "It's one of my favorite things I've ever done in this business." Talk about embodying the phrase, when one door closes, another opens!
Cameron Mathison has a deal with Great American Media
Debbie Matenopoulos isn't the only one to have got a sweet deal with Great American Media. In November 2023, the company issued a press release on its website, confirming that her former "Home & Family" co-host, Cameron Mathison, had entered into a multi-year partnership with them. Per the statement, Mathison was to feature in a variety of Great American Media's projects — though it didn't go into detail as to whether one of those might be a talk show.
Either way, it's safe to say the "Home & Family" alum was thrilled about his new deal. "I am grateful to be back at Great American Media and to collaborate with some of the best creative teams in entertainment to make heartwarming content everyone can enjoy," he said in the statement. Fingers crossed, at least one of those projects will be a holiday movie featuring both him and Matenopoulos. After all, she starred in her first Christmas movie in December 2023, so it's not too far-fetched an idea! Other than his Great American Media contract, Mathison has had his hands busy since leaving Hallmark, acting in "General Hospital," and hosting "Beat the Bridge" for Game Show Network.
So, where is the cast of "Home & Family" today? The show's ending may have been devastating at first, but they've certainly remained booked and busy. We're glad to see this was a happy ending for the former Hallmark personalities.