x
Breaking News
More () »

Under pressure, Hallmark pulls wedding ads featuring same sex couple

The ads were for the wedding website Zola. Celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres are sounding off on the decision.
Credit: AP
This 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)

Under pressure from a conservative group, The Hallmark Channel has pulled four ads for a wedding planning site that featured two brides kissing at the altar. 

Hallmark told the AP that the ads, for the Zola wedding website, were pulled because the controversy had become a distraction. 

The conservative group One Million Moms said it had complained about the ads to Bill Abbott, CEO of Hallmark's parent company Crown Media Family Networks. 

Celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and Sandra Bernhard blasted Hallmark's decision on Twitter, with DeGeneres asking: “Isn't it almost 2020? What are you thinking?" 

Zola fired back at Hallmark by pulling all their advertising from the channel.

Mike Chi, Zola's chief marketing officer, told The Hollywood Reporter, "All kisses, couples and marriages are equal celebrations of love and we will no longer be advertising on Hallmark." 

RELATED: Santa Clones are back for Portland holiday season

RELATED: Go on the hunt for 200 hidden ornaments in the Willamette National Forest

Before You Leave, Check This Out