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Q: I watch "Home & Family" on the Hallmark Channel fairly regularly. I missed a couple of days recently and don't see Mark anymore. What happened?

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Author: 
Adam Thomlison / TV Media

You missed an important couple of days.

At the end of the episode on June 2, co-host Debbie Matenopoulos emotionally delivered a shocking bit of news. "Our dear friend, our very good friend, and my wonderful co-host for years, Mr. Mark Steines, is no longer with 'Home & Family.'"

She offered no explanation, just a lot of good wishes for his future.

The facts came out soon after, though not before fans offered all sorts of wild speculation that ultimately proved untrue. The somewhat boring truth was that the producers wanted to take the show in a different direction; essentially, they wanted a fresh face to smile out from the co-hosting chair.

His agent, in an interview with TheWrap.com, insists that Steines was told he was not being fired for any specific cause, other than "creative reasons."

"We had nothing but positive reviews and feedback from Hallmark," the rep said.

It was as much of a shock to Steines as it was to fans. His co-host had to be the one to announce his departure, because Steines was only told after filming his last episode -- once it wrapped, he was told, essentially, not to come back.

Steines has been on the show since its debut in 2012, and longtime fans will remember that this isn't the first face-freshening exercise the show has gone through. Matenopoulos was herself the beneficiary of it two years ago, coming in as a new co-host after her predecessor, Cristina Ferrare, went "on vacation" for two weeks and then just never came back. It emerged then that she had, in fact, been let go so that the show could bring in a new face. Steines was the one to deliver that bit of news. 

 

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