Celebs Who Left The Hallmark Channel For Great American Family

The Hallmark Channel has been the leader in providing viewers with feel-good holiday films, especially with its beloved "Countdown to Christmas" schedule. However, a new network has slowly rivaled Hallmark since its launch in 2021, giving viewers similar content with made-for-TV films and holiday programming. The network, Great American Family (formally known as GAC Family), was started by former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott. Though it has a long way to go in overtaking Hallmark, it surely is coming up the ranks. 

And it's not only the family-friendly content that is very similar to Hallmark. Great American Family, which is much more faith-based, has poached many beloved Hallmark stars, too. Viewers have seen many Hallmark mainstays switch to GAF, with the likes of Danica McKellar, Trevor Donovan, and even Hallmark queen Candace Cameron Bure signing major contracts with Great American Family. 

Bure stirred up controversy when she shared, "I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core," during an interview with The Wall Street Journal, prompting speculation that some stars left after Hallmark began to make movies about LGBTQ couples. However, these stars have shared an array of reasons for the switch-up, including new movie deals, production contracts, creative opportunities, and more.

So, which actors have made the decision to leave Hallmark behind and join the Great American Family? See for yourself below.

Actor Trevor Donovan was a regular face on the Hallmark Channel. He first starred in the 2012 film "Strawberry Summer," followed by 2016's "Love on a Limb." The following year, he made his holiday movie debut with "Marry Me at Christmas." Donovan then acted in a few more Christmas films, including 2019's "Nostalgic Christmas" and 2020's "USS Christmas," with his last film for Hallmark being 2021's "Nantucket Noel." That October, he signed a multi-picture deal with Great American Family. Like most of his acting counterparts who moved away from Hallmark, Donovan's contract also included a producer role.

"My move to Great American Family was largely due to [CEO] Bill [Abbott]'s support for my Team Upstanders program while we were both at Hallmark," Donovan told Variety in 2022 of his anti-bullying campaign. Regarding his creative prospects with the network, he added, "It has always been my goal to create films that bring people together without being overtly political or religious, and I will continue to do so."

Donovan's first movie for Great American Family was "Jingle Bell Princess" in December 2021, in which he acted opposite Merritt Patterson. The following year, Donovan starred in "Aloha with Love" and "The Engagement Plot." As of this writing, upcoming movies for the actor include the network's "Twas the Text Before Christmas" and "Harvest Homecoming," a film that would also star Jessica Lowndes (who also made the switch to Great American Family — but more on that below).

Fans of the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series "Mystery 101" found plenty to be upset over after they learned it was ending after its seventh installment, "Deadly History." The film, which aired in September 2021, also happened to end on a cliffhanger, which further annoyed fans. Was "Mystery 101" canceled because of its leading lady Jill Wagner? Some have speculated on a Hallmark Movies Reddit thread that the actor, who has starred in 15 Hallmark Channel originals, was saying goodbye to Amy Winslow to star in movies for Great American Family.

In April 2023, Wagner said farewell to her "Mystery 101" character in an Instagram post. Thanking her co-star, Kristoffer Polaha, film crew, and fans, she shared alongside a wink-face emoji, "Just so you know in my mind, Amy and Travis get married and go on a super long honeymoon to Fiji!!" Wagner added, "Stay tuned for the next chapter with me, lots of fun things coming your way ... and you know I always love a good mystery." "Mystery 101: Deadly History" was the last movie Wagner did for Hallmark.

Moving to Great American Family proved true when she starred in "A Christmas Miracle for Daisy" in 2021. The following year, she starred in 2022's "A Merry Christmas Wish." In July 2023, Deadline reported that the actor was to star in another holiday film for Great American Family, titled "Bringing Christmas Home," a film she would also produce.

Jessica Lowndes starred in six movies for the Hallmark Channel, which included several Christmas films like "A December Bride," "Magical Christmas Ornaments," and "Christmas at Pemberley Manor." As reported by Deadline in early 2022, Lowndes said farewell to the network and signed a multi-picture deal with Great American Family. 

However, Lowndes wouldn't just be starring in original movies for the network. Her deal included writing, directing, and executive producing films for Great American Family. Before the news that she was leaving Hallmark, Lowndes had already starred in one of Great American Family's first films, "An Autumn Romance," which was changed to "Colors of Love," opposite Chad Michael Murray.

For the 2021 holiday season, Lowndes appeared in "Angel Falls Christmas" with Murray. The following year, she starred in "I'm Glad it's Christmas" and acted alongside Jesse Metcalfe in "Harmony of the Heart," for which Lowndes wrote, executive produced, and performed songs. In an interview with The List, Lowndes spoke about the process of writing what was her very first film. "It was the first time I wrote 'The End' on a blank document," she said. Lowndes added, "It was Bill Abbott who was at Hallmark who believed in me as a writer." Next up, Lowndes starred in Great American Family's "Harvest Homecoming" with Trevor Donovan in September 2023.

For five seasons, actor Daniel Lissing portrayed Jack Thorton in the Hallmark Channel's original series "When Calls the Heart" until his character was tragically killed. In 2021, a spin-off of the show, "When Hope Calls," premiered its first season on Hallmark's streaming service Hallmark Movies Now. The show's two-part second season moved to Great American Family, with Lissing reprising his role when his character comes back in Abigail Stanton's (Lori Loughlin) dream in "When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas Part 2." Lissing's first film with Great American Family was 2021's "A Christmas Star." In 2022, he starred in "Catering Christmas" along with Hallmark actor Merritt Patterson. 

In an interview with Digital Journal, Lissing commended former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott for making the network what it is today. "I am certain that he is going to take the reins of Great American Family, and he is going to turn that into the No. 1 family programming channel in America," Lissing said. He added, "Great American Family are very good to their talent, they build relationships and they honor those relationships. It's a pleasure to be on that journey with them. It's a great company to also be a part of. Also, they put out great content for their audiences as well."

Actor Neal Bledsoe acted alongside former Hallmark actor Danica McKellar in the 2017 Hallmark Channel original movie "Coming Home for Christmas" and would find himself starring with McKellar again for Great American Family. For the 2022 holiday season, Bledsoe and McKellar starred in "The Winter Palace" and "Christmas at the Drive-In." However, the two movies would be his last with the faith-based network. 

In December 2022, Bledsoe announced to Variety that he was stepping away from Great American Family following Candace Cameron Bure and CEO Bill Abbott's aforementioned controversial The Wall Street Journal interview. "I hope GAF will change, but until everyone can be represented in their films with pride, my choice is clear. I look forward to working with creators who put no limits on stories we tell and follow through on their message of values with open arms," Bledsoe said in a lengthy statement. In their joint interview, Bure and Abbott had shared that content for Great American Family would most likely not focus on same-sex couples, with Bure adding that she'd like to "keep traditional marriage at the core." Bure also serves as the chief creative officer for the network.

During an interview with Fox News Digital, McKellar spoke about Bledsoe's departure from the network following Bure's statements and ultimately defended the "Full House" star. "He and I both share our love and support of the LGBT community for sure," she said, but added, "I don't agree with his interpretation of her comments. I just didn't see them the same way."