Was the Hallmark Channel’s CEO fired over the lesbian commercial controversy?

The same-sex couple featured in a promotional ad for Zola.com pulled by Hallmark Channel.
Photo: Screenshot via YouTube

Hallmark Channel president and CEO Bill Abbott is stepping down less than two months after the company made headlines for pulling an advertisement featuring a same-sex couple.

The LA Times noted that Abbott’s departure comes in the wake of a period of growth for the Hallmark Channel, which, despite its bad press and increased competition from streaming services, has managed to remain successful. The channel reached 1.7 million viewers during primetime this past holiday season.

Related: Christians are outraged over a lesbian commercial that ran on the Hallmark Channel

Abbott, who has been with the company for eleven years, was responsible for the addition of Hallmark’s own streaming service, as well as a second channel called Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

The news of Abbott’s exit was announced on Wednesday in a press release, which did not mention the same-sex ad controversy or any other reason for his departure. It instead focused on….

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