Hallmark Draws Criticism after Pulling Same-Sex Wedding Ads

WAKA Action 8 News,

Posted: Dec 15, 2019 3:57 PM CST

his image made from undated video provided by Zola shows a scene of its advertisement. Under pressure from a conservative advocacy group, The Hallmark Channel has pulled the ads for wedding-planning website Zola that featured same-sex couples, including two brides kissing. The family-friendly network, which is in the midst of its heavily watched holiday programming, removed the ads because the controversy was a distraction, a spokesperson said in an interview on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. (Zola via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) – The Hallmark Channel faced some bitter criticism on social media Sunday over its decision to pull ads for a wedding planning site featuring two brides kissing at the altar. The network pulled the ads for the Zola website following a complaint from the conservative group One Million Moms. A Hallmark spokesperson told the AP the network had pulled the ads because the controversy was creating a distraction. A BoycottHallmark hashtag was trending on Twitter at one point, and celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, William Shatner and Sandra Bernhard blasted the decision on Twitter. DeGeneres asked: “Isn’t it almost 2020?”