Hallmark Alum Ryan Paevey Confirms He’s Making His Rom-Com Comeback at Great American Family

Nearly two years after Ryan Paevey announced he was taking a big step back from acting, the Hallmark Channel alum is back in the saddle again. But his path back to the small screen looks a little different than what fans had hoped or expected.

In the fall of 2025, Paevey made his first step back into acting when he was invited back to “General Hospital, the soap opera where he got his start. That gave many fans hope that he’d also soon return to Hallmark, where he starred in more than a dozen rom-coms between 2018 and 2023.

But on April 15, 2026, Paevey appeared in multiple Great American Family promo videos to confirm that the Christmas movie he’s been shooting in Kentucky is for the cable network started by former Hallmark Media CEO Bill Abbott. It’s a decision that’s drawing mixed reactions from fans.

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Ryan Paevey ‘Joins the Great American Media Family’ Per Network’s Posts

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On April 15, a teaser video posted on Paevey and Great American Family’s Instagram feeds showed him and Britt Robertson, a regular on the network, stepping out of their on-set trailers at the same time, with Christmas decor hanging above them. She peeked her head around to say, “Do I know you from somewhere?” Paevey, looking puzzled, said, “I don’t think so.”

Hours later, Great American Family posted a photo of Paevey on a Christmas movie set alongside other actors, including Robertson, Natasha Henstridge, and Kevin Dillon, with the headline “RYAN PAEVEY JOINS GREAT AMERICAN MEDIA FAMILY OF TALENT IN ORIGINAL FILM, CHRISTMAS AT MOOSE LAKE.”

In the post’s caption, the network wrote, “We’re welcoming Ryan Paevey to the Great American Media family!🎉He’ll star in his first Great American original movie, ‘Christmas at Moose Lake,’ alongside Britt Robertson, Kevin Dillon, and Natasha Henstridge—coming to Great American Christmas 2026!🎄✨”

In a press release about the movie, Abbott said, “Welcoming Ryan Paevey to Great American Christmas is especially exciting – Ryan and I have a long-shared history of making audience-favorite films, and I know first-hand the warmth and authenticity he brings to each role. It is truly thrilling to bring this stellar cast to Great American Christmas.”

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Fans Have Mixed Reactions to Ryan Paevey’s Move

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Although Hallmark’s most beloved stars often branch out to do singular projects with other networks, like Sarah Drew’s just-announced Lifetime movie or Kristoffer Polaha’s upcoming MGM+ series, there’s a complicated history between Hallmark and Great American Family — and stars rarely appear on both simultaneously.

Abbott, now the CEO of Great American Family, built Hallmark Channel but parted ways with the company in January 2020 after his controversial decision to pull an ad featuring a lesbian couple getting married. He launched Great American Family the following year and convinced several high-profile stars — including Candace Cameron Bure, Danica McKellar, and Cameron Mathison — to leave Hallmark for his new network.

Over the last five years, Great American Family has increasingly leaned into producing faith-based programming and branding (specifically centered around Christianity), and has made headlines for its decision not to feature gay or lesbian couples in its movies.

Late last year, Abbott informed his channel’s subscribers via email that his network was moving in the “opposite direction” of other networks’ “agendas” and “trend-chasing,” shading Hallmark’s final Christmas movie of 2025, “The Christmas Baby,” because it featured two female leads.

While many Great American Family fans cheered the news of Paevey joining the network, which is often referred to its old nickname GAC, a lot of Hallmark devotees expressed disappointment on social media. One fan wrote “Gonna miss seeing him on Hallmark, I don’t support GAC” and another commented, “I love Ryan but I can’t watch GAC. Way too religious for my taste. I’ll just enjoy Ryan on GH and all his hallmark movies.”

Another fan opined, “So sad you chose GAF over Hallmark! Hallmark makes better movies! I rarely watch GAF! I will truly miss you!❤️. My comment wasn’t meant to be rude. It’s just how I feel! We all are entitled to our preferences! Ryan is one of my favorite actors and I’m truly going to miss him!”

But someone else chimed in, “Hooray for Great American Family for Ryan Paevey choosing them over Hallmark! I’ll be watching, for sure! Looking forward to seeing every film you make Ryan! Loveya kiddo! ❤️👏😍”

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Inside Ryan Paevey’s Decision to Leave & Return to Acting

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In June 2024, Paevey announced he was stepping back from acting in an exclusive statement to EntertainmentNow and its parent company, Heavy. He shared that a series of professional and personal challenges, from dealing with rampant online rumors and scammers to supporting his mom through a difficult cancer diagnosis, led him to make the decision.

After taking time to focus on his Fortunate Wanderer handmade jewelry business and launch a YouTube channel with short films about his adventures around the world, Paevey announced in August 2025 that “General Hospital” had reached out about a possible return, and he decided he was ready to dive back in.

That led countless Hallmark fans to request a return to rom-coms, too. He has periodically teased other projects in the works, including movies, and told fans in March that he had “never been so tired” after filming so much.

Since longtime Hallmark star Cindy Busby also leaped over to Great American Family in 2025, some fans have expressed hope that she and Paevey will film a third “Mr. Darcy” movie; the first two were hugely popular on Hallmark in 2016 and 2018.