Hallmark Executive Wanted to 'Replace' 'Old Talent' Age Discrimination Lawsuit Claims
Hallmark Executive Wanted to 'Replace' 'Old Talent' Like Lacey Chabert and Holly Robinson Peete, Age Discrimination Lawsuit Claims https://t.co/qZTX5yVHoE
- People (@people) October 24, 2024
An age discrimination lawsuit claims a Hallmark executive said she does not want to cast old talent, offering Holly Robinson Peete and Lacey Chabert as examples, claiming they do not align with the channel's image.
Penny Perry, 79, a casting director who has been with Hallmark for nearly a decade, filed the lawsuit.
Perry alleges that Hamilton Daly decided that she was too old to work in her position and maneuvered to push her out of the company as a part of her goal to find new talent.
“We need to bring in someone who knows more young talent. Our leading ladies are aging out.”
Hamilton Daly allegedly specifically cited Robinson Peete, 60, Chabert, 42, Teri Hatcher, 59, and several more as old talent who need to be replaced.
“Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older. No one wants Holly, she’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore.”
Perry, a casting director on movies and television shows since the 1970s, said she received strong annual performance evaluations, including one in February, but she was abruptly fired in April. She alleges she was fired and replaced with a younger man. According to the complaint, Hamilton Daly repeatedly told her she was too long in the tooth.
Hallmark denied the allegations in a statement to Variety and Deadline.
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