Goodbyes are never easy, especially when it comes to some of our favorite faces on the Hallmark Channel. However, in recent years, a good handful of the actors and actresses we’ve come to love on Hallmark have made the leap to Great American Family (previously known as GAC Family). (So it’s no wonder many are asking, Is the Great American Family channel part of Hallmark?) Although we may no longer get to see their faces on the network we came to love them on, knowing that they are still shining on the screen brings us comfort. Here, take a look at this list of eight actors and actresses we’ve said goodbye to on Hallmark for their new beginnings at the family-friendly Great American Family.
1. Danica McKellar
Danica McKellar rose to fame as a child star on the hit 90s comedy series The Wonder Years, and before she made her way to Great American Family, the 49-year-old-actress was building her resume as a romantic leading lady on Hallmark.
Some of her films on the network include Christmas She Wrote (2020), Christmas at Dollywood (2019), Love and Sunshine (2019) and more. As for her work on Great American Family, you’ve likely seen her in The Winter Palace (2022), Christmas at the Drive-In (2022), Swing Into Romance (2023) or A Cinderella Christmas Ball (2024).
MUST-READ: Danica McKellar Opens Up About ‘A Royal Date for Christmas,’ Her Holiday Stress Tips and Life After ‘The Wonder Years’
2. Trevor Donovan
Hunky blonde actor Trevor Donovan, known for his role on 90210 and for Hallmark films like USS Christmas (2020), Love, Fall and Order (2019) and Nantucket Noel (2021), was one of the first to make the leap over to GAF, where he has starred in A Harvest Homecoming (2023) and ‘Twas the Text Before Christmas (2023), to name a few.
3. Cameron Mathison
Cameron Mathison cornered the market on Hallmark mysteries, including the Murder, She Baked series alongside Alison Sweeney. However, in 2023, Mathison signed a multi-picture deal with Great American Family following a few films he had done on the network including A Merry Christmas Wish (2022) and A Kindhearted Christmas (2021).
4. Lori Loughlin
Full House favorite Lori Loughlin was another Hallmark favorite who said goodbye to the network for GAF. She found fame with When Calls the Heart and the Garage Sale Mysteries before taking her talents to the other network where she has worked on movies like Fall Into Winter (2023).
5. Jen Lilley
Lilley was a part of the Hallmark family for quite some time before making the jump to GAF after signing a four-picture deal with them. Since then, she’s starred in movies like A Paris Christmas Waltz (2023) and B&B Merry (2022) to name a few.
6. Jill Wagner
Jill Wagner was another Hallmark actress we adored who took her talents to GAF. Bringing Christmas Home (2023) was one of her most recent films on the network.
7. Candace Cameron Bure
Candace Cameron Bure’s swap from the Hallmark Channel to GAF was perhaps the most notable and controversial, and now, she even serves as the Chief Creative Officer of Great American Media. However, prior to her switch, she made a splash on Hallmark in the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries films, as well as movies like The Christmas Contest (2021), If I Only Had Christmas (2020), Christmas Town (2019) and countless others. Now, on GAF, she’s continued to take on various projects, her most recent being Home Sweet Christmas (2024) with Cameron Mathison.
8. Carlos PenaVega & Alexa PenaVega
Carlos PenaVega rose to fame as an actor when he starred in Nickelodeon’s Big Time Rush, also playing an integral role in the band itself. However, in the years that followed his boyband fame, he stepped onto the Hallmark scene alongside his real-life wife, Alexa PenaVega. Alexa was known by most for her work in Spy Kids (2001) and Sleepover (2004). On the Hallmark Channel, the PenaVegas worked alongside one another in countless films including Never Too Late to Celebrate (2023), Love in the Limelight (2022) and more, but nowadays, you can catch them both on GAF in films like Get Him Back for Christmas (2024).
