Hallmark Channel is going back to its roots. On August 5, 2025 — the network’s 24th birthday — it was announced that Michelle Vicary, a programming visionary who was part of the cable channel’s birth in 2001, is returning to oversee all programming, according to Variety.
For 22 years, Vicary served in multiple positions at the company, including as Executive VP of programming, and was responsible for hiring many of the network’s biggest stars, per Variety, including Tyler Hynes, Jonathan Bennett, Luke MacFarlane, Kimberley Sustad, Nikki DeLoach, Paul Campbell, Ashley Williams, Erin Cahill, and Andrew Walker.
Vicary left Hallmark in 2021, shortly after a shakeup in leadership, per The Wrap. As Hallmark Channel celebrates 24 years of “its mission of bringing you all the love, laughter, and romantic magic you could ever dream of,” as one of the network’s social media posts touted on August 5, it seems fitting that it would bring back a leader so dedicated to its mission and excited about its new vision of “One Hallmark.”
Michelle Vicary Launched Countdown to Christmas & Multiple Hallmark Channel Series
GettyDuring her tenure at Hallmark Channel, Vicary launched the network’s annual Countdown to Christmas programming and several beloved series, including “When Calls the Heart,” and the since-canceled “Good Witch,” and “Chesapeake Shores.” According to Variety, she also “expanded the company’s commitment to diverse storytelling, including hiring multiple LGBTQ+ actors.”
Vicary will report to Chief Brand Officer Darren Abbott, who stepped into that role in early January, charged with overseeing all of Hallmark’s “consumer-facing” endeavors, from its greeting card division to its cable channels and streaming platform, Hallmark+.
Abbott told Variety that together they’ll execute a vision they’re calling “One Hallmark” internally.
“We are one brand,” he said. “My job is to think about that opportunity through a consumer lens and deliver incredible content, incredible products and incredible experiences that leverage the full breadth of the brand. And so the future, at this point in my mind, is pretty much unlimited.”
“You’re going to hear us talk less and less about our individual outputs or operating units,” he continued. “It’s not just about the greeting card business or our movie business. It’s about the Hallmark brand, and how we are tying all of those things together in really unique ways.”
A likely example of that vision playing out will be when Hallmark Channel queen Lacey Chabert launches her own line of Hallmark greeting cards, gift wrap, and “unique entertaining essentials,” which was announced in January and will launch for the holiday season.
Will Hallmark Channel Programming Change Under Michelle Vicary’s Leadership?
Under Vicary, the programming on Hallmark Channel will not necessarily change as much as it will enhance the network’s commitment to diverse stories and casts.
Abbott told Variety, “The Hallmark brand is a brand for all people, and we always have been. It is at the foundation of who we are, so we’re going to continue to lean in on that as well. We will be telling stories that reflect the world that we live in and the diverse storytelling that we can bring to the table.”
“That was important to Michelle, it’s important to me,” he continued. “That is part of the Hallmark brand. You can’t be a brand about connecting people if you’re not for all people, and so at the end of the day, that’s really important to us — whether it’s in the products we sell, the movies we make or the experiences that we’re creating.”
Multiple Hallmark stars have celebrated the news of Vicary’s return on social media. When Hallmark Media Chief Communications Officer Annie Howell shared the Variety article in her private Instagram Stories and wrote “Welcome home, @michellevicaryhc,” stars who shared it to their own Stories included Taylor Cole, Brennan Elliott, and Brendan Penny.
Victor Webster shared it too, and wrote, “This is great news!!”
Hallmark Channel has gone through several leadership changes in the last five years. In 2020, former Hallmark Media CEO Bill Abbott left amid a public relations crisis and later launched a competing network, Great American Family.
Wonya Lucas replaced Abbott in 2020 but announced she was leaving her role as Hallmark Media CEO in August 2023. Programming exec Lisa Hamilton Daly was then promoted to oversee programming in tandem with Hallmark President and CEO Mike Perry. Daly’s position was eliminated in January 2025 as Darren Abbott, who’d been with the company for three decades, was named Chief Brand Officer.
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Hallmark Channel Announces Huge Leadership Change & ‘One Hallmark’ Vision on Its Birthday