Hallmark Channel to Reinstate Zola Same-Sex Wedding Commercials
Hallmark apologizes, calls it the “wrong desicion”
In a complete reversal, the Hallmark Channel has announced it will reinstate the Zola commercials featuring same-sex couples originally pulled from the network just days ago.
The decision to pull the commercials, made by Hallmark’s parent company, Crown Media, caused an uproar on social media, sparking the hashtag #BoycottHallmarkChannel on Twitter.
Hallmark’s CEO Mike Perry quickly issued a brief statement on Sunday, apologizing on behalf of Crown Media and their initial decision to scrap all commercials for the wedding planning site Zola featuring LGBTQ couples.
“The Crown Media team has been agonizing over this decision as we’ve seen the hurt it has unintentionally caused,” Perry said. “Said simply, they believe this was the wrong decision. We are truly sorry for the hurt and disappointment this has caused.”
Crown Media’s decision to pull the commercials from the Hallmark Channel stemmed from a complaint issued by the group One Million Moms, a subsection of the American Family Association, a fundamentalist protestant organization, which is actively anti-LGBTQ.
In response to both the public outcry and Hallmark’s decision to reinstate the commercials, Zola’s Chief Marketing Officer Mike Chi commented, “We are humbled by everyone who showed support not only for Zola, but for all LGBTQ couples and families who express their love on their wedding day, and every day.”
