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Actress Claims Hallmark Channel Fired Her For Demanding Diversity: ‘Bigotry Comes From The Top’

   DailyWire.com
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 19: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Hilarie Burton visits People Now on November 19, 2019 in New York, United States.
John Lamparski/Getty Images

Actress Hilarie Burton (“One Tree Hill”), wife of actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, publicly accused Hallmark Channel of firing her after she demanded more inclusivity in a particular movie in which she had been hired to star.

In a Twitter thread on Sunday, the 37-year-old Burton claimed that Hallmark Channel told her to “take it or leave it” when she insisted on more diverse casting in her particular project, including an LGBTQ character.

“Just going through some old emails from a  [Hallmark] job I was ‘let go’ from back in January,” her Twitter thread began, as reported by Fox News. “I had insisted on an LGBTQ character, an interracial couple and diverse casting. I was polite, direct and professional. But after the execs gave their notes on the script and NONE of my requests were honored, I was told ‘take it or leave it.’ I left it. And the paycheck. Sh***y being penalized for standing up for inclusivity. I really wanted that job. It was close to my house. It paid really well. It was about the military, which you all know I hold dear.”

Burton said she would “walk away again in a heartbeat” and thanked her husband for being so supportive, adding that she would have had to accept the job if not for his income and hard work. 

“I’d walk away again in a heartbeat,” she continued. “The bigotry comes from the top and permeates the whole deal over there. I’ve been loudly cheering for [Lifetime TV] all year because they heard my concerns + RALLIED! You want inclusive Christmas magic?! We got it. Love is love.”

“Key point here: I have a wonderful husband [Jeffery Dean Morgan] who works his a** off so I have the luxury to choose morals over paying bills,” concluded Burton. “Not everyone has that! Nor should we be forced to be dependent. If I had to cover our mortgage and was told ‘take it or leave it,’ I’d be f***ed.”

Burton’s Twitter thread came in response to the #BoycottHallmarkChannel hashtag that began trending on Saturday after the company canceled a Zola ad featuring a kissing lesbian couple from airing on its platform. The company’s decision followed a petition from the family activist group One Million Moms, which had argued that LGBT content violates the Hallmark Channel’s “family-friendly” programming.

“Until recently, Hallmark had a good record for keeping their movies and commercials family-friendly,” the petition said. “Now, parents can no longer trust Hallmark because Hallmark is no longer allowing parents to be the primary educators when it comes to sex and sexual morality. Parents need to know they could now come face-to-face with the LGBT agenda when they sit down to watch the Hallmark Channel.”

After taking a severe beating on social media from LGBT activists and their allies, Hallmark Channel reversed course and apologized for canceling the ad, vowing to work with the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to make amends.

“Hallmark will be working with GLAAD to better represent the LGBTQ community across our portfolio of brands,” the company said in a statement. “The Hallmark Channel will be reaching out to Zola to reestablish our partnership and reinstate the commercials.”

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