Hunter King Cries Over Huge Surprise at Gracie Awards With Tyler Hynes: ‘So Shocked’

When Hallmark star Hunter King showed up for the 50th annual Gracie Awards on May 20, 2025, she knew in advance that she and the cast of 2024’s “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” would be honored with the Best Ensemble Cast for a Made-for-TV Movie Award. Much of the cast, including Tyler Hynes and Ed Begley Jr., reunited in Los Angeles for the big honor.

What King didn’t know was that her sister, actress Joey King, and their mom would surprise her onstage with the award. In Instagram Stories shared by Hallmark execs, King could be seen dabbing her eyes with her napkin as she realized they’d both shown up to celebrate her.

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. In addition to the “Holiday Touchdown” cast, Hallmark stars Bethany Joy Lenz and Lacey Chabert also received Honorable Mention trophies.

Joey King Says Sister Hunter King ‘Deserves Everything Lovely’

Joey King, 25, rose to fame in Netflix’s “The Kissing Booth” franchise, as well as Hulu’s true-crime series “The Act,” and posted Instagram photos from the Gracies as she celebrated her big sister Hunter, 31.

She captioned her post, “Last night celebrating our sweet Hunter at the Gracie Awards!! So happy for my big sister. she’s truly everything lovely in this world and deserves everything lovely🐞”

Joey posted additional photos and videos in her Instagram Stories on May 21, captioning one photo with Hunter and their mom, “Last night was so so special!!!! I truly cannot believe I was able to keep the fact that I was presenting Hunter and her cast a Gracie Award … surprises are my favorite and this girl is my favorite and she deserves every good thing!!!!”

In a video shared by Hallmark Channel, Joey stood center stage with their mom holding the trophy off to the side, and said, “I am so proud to award the Gracie for Ensemble Cast — Made for TV Movie to the amazing stars of ‘Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.'”

Once the cast made their way to the stage and Hunter hugged her family, Hynes gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek as she wiped away tears at the microphone and said, “I’m so shocked right now. I had no idea they were gonna be here.”

Before giving her acceptance speech, she added, “I’m gonna make a fool of myself by crying, and so I apologize in advance.”

Bethany Joy Lenz & Lacey Chabert Were Also Honored at the 50th Annual Gracie Awards

The “Holiday Touchdown” cast weren’t the only Hallmark stars at the Beverly Wilshire for the Gracies. Bethany Joy Lenz received an honorable mention trophy for her 2024 best-selling memoir, “Dinner With Vampires,” and gushed about the night on Instagram.

In a May 21 post, she wrote, “Still floating from the Gracie Awards—an incredible night honoring women who use their voices to inform, uplift, and inspire.”

Among the people she loved seeing during the party were her Hallmark colleagues, noting, “I got to spend a little time w my #savoringparis director @clare_niederpruem (6th &9th slide). In fact, I got to see a lot of my #HALLMARK alum, including @tyler_hynes with whom I totally failed to take a picture (I know! I know! 🤦🏼‍♀️). It really is an amazing group of people and I can’t wait till next year!”

Meanwhile, Chabert and her producing partner Gena McCarthy received an Honorable Mention trophy for the first season of their unscripted series, “Celebrations With Lacey Chabert,” which premiered on Hallmark+ in September. The honor was for the category of Producers — Entertainment (National TV).

Chabert couldn’t be at the ceremony because she’s in Utah filming “Haul Out the Holly 3” for Hallmark, but McCarthy was there to accept the award. A second season of the reality show, which celebrates ordinary people doing extraordinary things, has wrapped filming and will debut on Hallmark Channel later this year.