Ex-Host Sues Hallmark Channel For Wrongful Termination

Mark Steines

Mark Steines says he was retaliated against for complaining about an executive producer's verbal abuse of producers and supporting two women who came forward with sexual harassment complaints.

According to Variety, ex-Hallmark Channel host Mark Steines on Thursday sued the network's parent Crown Media, claiming he was fired and humiliated in retaliation for taking a stand against harassment.

Steines hosted Hallmark's Home & Family for six years, until he was terminated in May. He claims he regularly alerted the network through his representatives that executive producer Woody Fraser harassed and verbally abused producers and no action was taken.

The network prides itself on a "squeaky-clean image," Steines says, and it avoids controversial subjects to such an extreme that it barred the Home & Family cast from using the word "breast" in a segment about mammograms. But, behind the scenes, the ex-host claims Fraser created a "vulgar, demeaning, and hostile work environment, especially for the women." Steines claims the exec producer would regularly make lewd comments about female guests in his earpiece while taping, bragged about his penis size and forcibly hugged female co-workers.