Multiple Hallmark stars, from Tyler Hynes to Bethany Joy Lenz, were thrilled to learn on March 26, 2025, that they’ll be honored at the 50th Annual Gracie Awards in May.
The prestigious awards honor media stars and projects that “embody the spirit and courage” of Gracie Allen — a beloved TV actress and groundbreaking comedian in the 1940s and 50s — and “serve as a reminder of the invaluable contributions women make in shaping our media landscape,” according to the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF), the organization behind the Gracies.
‘Holiday Touchdown’ Wins Gracie Award for Best Ensemble Cast
HallmarkThe star-studded cast of 2024’s “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” won the Gracie for Ensemble Cast in a Made-for-TV Movie. The cast of Hallmark’s first collaboration with the NFL, which premiered in November, included Hynes, Hunter King, Ed Begley Jr., Megyn Price, Diedrich Bader, Christine Ebersole, and Richard Riehle.
Donna Kelce, mother of NFL greats Travis and Jason Kelce, had a small role in the movie, which also featured cameos by “Today Show” host Jenna Bush Hager, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, and Chiefs players Trey Smith, Mecole Hardman Jr., Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and George Karlaftis. Even longtime Hallmark star Wes Brown made an appearance as a bartender in one scene.
Hynes shared the news of the cast’s Gracies win on Instagram and King shared it in her Stories. Hallmark Channel’s social media team celebrated the win in a post, too, writing, “Thank you to @allwomeninmedia for the recognition and to all those continuing to inspire change through storytelling!”
The movie’s screenwriter, Julie Sherman Wolfe, commented, “What an incredible cast!! So well-deserved!❤️”
Bethany Joy Lenz & Lacey Chabert Receive Gracies Honorable Mentions
In addition to the award for “Holiday Romance,” the Gracies gave Honorable Mentions to projects led by two longtime Hallmark actresses.
Lacey Chabert and her producing partner Gena McCarthy received the Honorable Mention for the first season of their unscripted series, “Celebrations With Lacey Chabert,” which premiered on Hallmark+ in September. The honor is for the category of Producers — Entertainment (National TV).
In each episode of the first season, Chabert and her event planning team created a surprise party for a deserving recipient who’d worked wonders in their community. They recently wrapped filming on a second season of the series, to premiere later in 2025.
Bethany Joy Lenz also received an Honorable Mention from the Gracies for the audiobook narration of her best-selling 2024 memoir, “Dinner For Vampires,” about her experience unknowingly living in a cult while filming the coming-of-age series “One Tree Hill.”
“I’m so proud to have #dinnerforvampires acknowledged by such an esteemed group committed to the progress of women, not just here in the United States, but all over the world,” Lenz wrote in an Instagram post about the honor. “My deepest hope when I wrote this book was that women living in any abuse or oppression similar to what I experienced would find hope, courage for themselves, and know that they are not alone.”
She continued, “Recording the audiobook felt like the final step in releasing this out of my body and into the hands of people meant to carry its message onward. I’m beyond grateful to have been chosen as the honorable mention for this award.”
Lenz implied in her post that she plans to attend the Gracies, which will be held in Los Angeles on May 20, hosted by comedian Fortune Feister. The 2024 Gracies were hosted by Hallmark star Tamera Mowry-Housley.
Hallmark Media received its first-ever Gracies in 2023. Gail O’Grady won the award for Actress in a Supporting Role in a Made-for-TV Movie — for 2022’s “Heart of the Matter” — and the team behind “Unthinkably Good Things” won the award for Best Made-for-Television Movie.
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Hallmark Stars Thrilled Over Gracies News: ‘Beyond Grateful’