Actress Says She Was Fired After She Demanded Show Create Interracial Couple and LGBT Character

Amid a controversy involving the Hallmark Channel’s treatment of onscreen same-sex relationships, actress Hilarie Burton claimed she was fired from one of the network’s projects after she demanded “diverse casting.”

“Just going through some old emails from a #Hallmark job I was ‘let go’ from back in January. I had insisted on a LGBTQ character, an interracial couple and diverse casting. I was polite, direct and professional,” Burton tweeted on Sunday.

Requests were honored, I was told “take it or leave it”.
I left it. And the paycheck. Shitty being penalized for standing up for inclusivity. I really wanted that job. It was close to my house. It paid really well. It was about the military, which you all know I hold dear. But?

— Hilarie Burton Morgan (@HilarieBurton) December 15, 2019

“But after the execs gave their notes on the script and NONE of my [r]equests were honored, I was told to ‘take it or leave it,'” she added.

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Burton, who played Peyton Sawyer on early aughts teen drama “One Tree Hill,” chose “leave it.”

“I left it. And the paycheck. Shitty being penalized for standing up for inclusivity. I really wanted that job. It was close to my house. It paid really well. It was about the military, which you all know I hold dear,” she said.

According to Burton, the “bigotry comes from the top and permeates the whole deal over there.”

Burton, who over the years has acted in a number of Hallmark films, shouted out one of Hallmark’s rivals in the mushy TV movie business.

The “Naughty or Nice” starlet praised Lifetime for its decidedly “woke” stance on the holidays.

“I’ve been loudly cheering for @lifetimetv all year because they heard my concerns + RALLIED! You want inclusive Christmas magic?! We got it,” Burton tweeted.

A spokesperson for Hallmark told Fox News that Burton had never been employed by Crown Media Holdings, the Hallmark Channel’s parent company.

Burton also thanked her husband, actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, for paying for her to have the luxury to live out her progressive ideals.

Key point here: I have a wonderful husband @JDMorgan who works his ass off so I have the luxury to choose morals over paying bills. Not everyone has that! Nor should we be forced to be dependent. If I had to cover our mortgage and was told “take it or leave it”, I’d be fucked.

— Hilarie Burton Morgan (@HilarieBurton) December 15, 2019

A same-sex controversy

Hallmark announced on Saturday it would be pulling four ads from Zola.com showing two brides kissing at the altar.

Hallmark cited pressure from conservative groups as a motivating factor in its decision.

The network backtracked almost immediately, reinstating the Zola.com commercials the next day and releasing a statement affirming Hallmark’s “commitment to diversity and inclusion.”

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“The Crown Media team has been agonizing over this decision as we’ve seen the hurt it has unintentionally caused. Said simply, they believe this was the wrong decision. Our mission is rooted in helping all people connect, celebrate traditions, and be inspired to capture meaningful moments in their lives. Anything that detracts from this purpose is not who we are. We are truly sorry for the hurt and disappointment this has caused.” said Hallmark CEO Mike Perry in a statement on Sunday.

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