Candace Cameron Bure (before she moved to Great American Family), former “Wonder Years” star Danica McKellar, emerging star Skyler Samuels from Hallmark, and many others.
Arguably, the most well-known name on that long list, however, is Lacey Chabert. Her fans know that her career as a child star is unmatched. She started delivering lines in front of the camera at an age when most kids were still learning to tie their shoes. Since then, Chabert has continued to find success in acting, transitioning from teenage roles to adult roles. These days, she’s practically synonymous with Hallmark Channel. It’s not surprising, considering she’s appeared in a whopping 38 Hallmark movies, including many holiday romantic comedies.
It’s been an amazing ride, and it’s far from over. To find out more about her journey from child actor to grown-up star, keep reading and it will be clear that Hallmark star Lacey Chabert has had quite the transformation.
Lacey Chabert was a pageant queen while growing up small-town Mississippi
For most people, awareness of child beauty pageants came through TLC reality show “Toddlers & Tiaras” or perhaps from the tragic murder of 6-year-old pageant contestant JonBenét Ramsay. That wasn’t the case for Lacey Chabert, though, who began participating in child pageants when she was just a kid, growing up in Purvis, Mississippi. In fact, Chabert recalled her childhood pageant days during a 2020 appearance on “Live with Kelly and Ryan.” “It was the ’80s, in the South … I mean, it was just kind of what everyone did. It was really fun,” recalled Chabert, who holds the distinction of being named 1985’s World’s Baby Petite.
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For the aspiring young performer, pageants were a springboard to her next step toward a career in showbiz: competing on “Star Search,” the TV competition series featuring talented unknowns. “I was eight,” Chabert told Jay Leno during an appearance on “The Tonight Show,” which also featured a clip of her on the show, belting out “Happy Days Are Here Again” like a pint-sized Ethel Merman.
As she told the Clarion Ledger, she came even closer to achieving her dreams of stardom when her family moved to New York City. “I started going on commercial auditions, and the first one I got was a Triaminic cough syrup commercial [around 1990],” she said.
She got her start as a child actor on an iconic soap
Lacey Chabert went on to appear in numerous TV commercials until landing her big break at age nine, playing Cosette in “Les Misérables” on Broadway. “Certainly at that age, I didn’t understand the weight of the opportunity,” she explained to the Clarion Ledger. “We had other children cast for the part, as well, so I only had to do six shows a week. But it taught me such a great work ethic. You know, the show must go on. And it taught me to be responsible, to really care about my job and how to be part of a team.”
That experience led her to television, and one of her earliest onscreen roles: portraying Bianca Montgomery on “All My Children,” daughter of Erica Kane (played by soap icon Susan Lucci). “I was 10 years old,” she told co-host and “All My Children” alum Kelly Ripa while appearing on “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” “and I mean this [with] total sincerity, my favorite part of being on that show was when I would get to hang out with you …”
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The fast pace of a daytime soap was something of a trial by fire for the young actor, giving her an invaluable on-the-job education. “I mean, day in and day out, the amount of dialogue that has to be memorized … I was a child,” she recalled in an interview with Soap Opera Digest.
Primetime TV success with Party of Five
All of the experience that Lacey Chabert had accumulated as a child actor paid off in 1994 when she landed her biggest break to date, cast as Claudia Salinger in Fox drama “Party of Five.” As the show’s co-executive producer, Amy Lippman, told the Los Angeles Times, they’d seen children all over the U.S. before landing on Chabert. “She just had this sparkle,” recalled Lippman of what made Chabert stand out from all the other young girls who’d auditioned.
Starring in a hit TV series, playing the youngest sibling in a family whose parents were tragically killed, brought her a level of celebrity she hadn’t yet experienced. “I think it has changed my life,” the youngster said during a 1996 interview with “Access Hollywood.” “When you walk down the street, people kind of know who you are. It’s kind of weird.” According to her mom, though, Chabert was loving every second of her new life as a famous TV star. “Sometimes it feels like she’s a much older person in the body of a 12-year-old,” Chabert’s mother told the Times. “But right now, she’s sure having the time of her life.”
Decades later, Chabert confirmed her mother’s characterization. “I mean, I was just a little girl, and I just loved pretending to be this character,” she told “Access Hollywood,” acknowledging how much “Party of Five” changed her life. “But there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not grateful for it.”
She hit the big screen in Lost in Space, Mean Girls and more
Interviewed by the Los Angeles Times during her stint on “Party of Five,” young Lacey Chabert admitted she loved acting and hoped she’d still want to pursue that when she grew older. “I want to do movies,” she said, “but I don’t know if I’ll always feel that way.” She didn’t have to wait long for an opportunity to light up the silver screen, making the jump from TV to movies when she was cast in 1998’s “Lost in Space.” Working with her onscreen family of actors was one thing, but suddenly sharing scenes with big-shot actors such as Gary Oldman and William Hurt was something else entirely. “I was pretty intimidated at first,” she admitted in an interview with People, while also declaring that she had so much fun making the film that she was ready for more. “I definitely want to do another film,” she said.
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She did, appearing in such films as 2001’s “Not Another Teen Movie,” 2002’s “The Scoundrel’s Wife,” and 2003’s “Daddy Day Care.” That all led up to what is arguably her most iconic role: Plastics member Gretchen Wieners in the beloved 2004 comedy “Mean Girls.”
Sitting down with “Access Hollywood” 15 years after the film’s release, Chabert marveled at how much of an impact the film made, and continued to make, on the pop-culture landscape. “I mean, you never know when you’re part of a project, how it’s going to be received, and if it’s going to resonate with people,” she said.
Lacey Chabert was the original voice of Family Guy’s Meg Griffin
While starring in Fox drama “Party of Five,” Lacey Chabert was tapped to participate in another series on the same network when Seth MacFarlane cast her as Meg Griffin in “Family Guy,” his animated comedy that debuted in 1999. Chabert voiced the character for the entirety of the first season; after that, however, she was replaced by “That ’70s Show” star Mila Kunis, who has continued to voice Meg ever since.
Speaking with GameSpy in 2006 (via Sonic Retro), Chabert clarified that she hadn’t been fired, but was simply too busy to fit in “Family Guy” as a regular gig. “No, I actually left the show of my own accord,” she explained. “And only because I was in school and doing ‘Party of Five’ at the time. But I think the show is hilarious, and don’t have a grudge against her at all. I think she’s a great actress.”
MacFarlane also offered some clarification about how Kunis came to take over from Chabert in the show’s second season. “I think there was a mistake in her contract, and I guess she had not intended to be involved for, like, the full run of the show. I don’t even remember,” MacFarlane explained in an interview with IGN, insisting there was no drama surrounding Chabert’s departure. “To be honest, I don’t really, to this day, know what it was,” he added. “It was nothing — there was no tension or anything.”
She blogged for People about preparing for the arrival of her first baby
In 2013, Lacey Chabert walked down the aisle with David Nehdar. In 2016, the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Julia Mimi Bella Nehdar. During her pregnancy, Chabert welcomed fans into her world via a blog she wrote for People magazine in which she shared the experience of preparing for her daughter’s arrival, especially by getting the nursery ready.
As she explained in an Instagram post, she was working with an array of specific brands, which presumably donated their products to her nursery in exchange for the publicity they’d receive from her blog. “Thanks so much for following along as we get ready to begin this next chapter of our lives,” she wrote. “The countdown is on!”
In a December 2015 blog post (via People), Chabert admitted she was fortunate to be working with interior designer Vanessa Antonelli, due to her own lack of ability in that particular area. “I wasn’t blessed with the interior-design gene,” she wrote. “Had I been left to my own devices without the help of a professional, undoubtedly my baby’s room would have been pink on pink on pink. I swear I would have painted the floor and ceiling itself pink with accents of, well, pink!”
She starred in a Hallmark Christmas movie directed by Mariah Carey
Lacey Chabert’s association with Hallmark Channel goes all the way back to 2010 when she appeared in the rom-com “Elevator Girl.” That was followed by several more movies for Hallmark, including a few of the channel’s holiday romps, including “Matchmaker Santa,” and “A Royal Christmas.” Eventually, that led to a starring role in the 2015 film “A Christmas Melody,” arguably among Hallmark’s highest-profile productions at the time, seeing how it marked the directorial debut of “elusive chanteuse” Mariah Carey.
“She was amazing,” gushed Chabert of working with the chart-topping singer while promoting the film on “The Real.” “We had so much fun. I’m such a fan.” In fact, Chabert revealed that she received the offer to appear in “A Christmas Melody” on her birthday, which was followed by a phone call from Carey herself. “She left me this voicemail, and she sang me ‘Happy Birthday,’” Chabert recalled.
A birthday performance wasn’t the only gift that Chabert received from that particular movie; when it debuted, “The Christmas Melody” was a heavy-duty Hallmark hit, raking in nearly 4 million viewers to become that day’s most-watched show among all cable channels.
She grieved the 2021 death of her sister
From the outside looking in, Lacey Chabert’s life has been one of success upon success. Yet she’s also endured her share of tragedy, which was the case when her beloved older sister, Wendy, died unexpectedly in 2021. At the time, she shared the sad news via Instagram, with a touching tribute to her sister accompanied by a photo from a high school year, upon which the words “Wendy 94” had been embossed in gold foil.
“My beautiful sister, Wendy. Our hearts are shattered into a million pieces that I don’t know how we will ever put back together again now that you’re gone,” she wrote, without adding any details about what had led to her sister’s death. “We love and adore you more than we can ever say, and we will continue to forever and ever and ever. The shocking loss has left us, so broken hearted,” she continued. Even after time had passed, Chabert was still feeling the depth of that loss. “I can’t believe it’s been over two months since I’ve been able to hear my sister’s voice,” she wrote in a subsequent Instagram post. “I still reach for my phone 10 times a day to text or call her before I remember that I can’t.”
In 2023, Chabert appeared in an episode of Lawrence Zarian’s “You Are Beautiful”, revealing that her sister’s death had come from a sudden heart attack that no one had anticipated.
Lacey Chabert launched her own clothing line
Lacey Chabert unveiled her entrepreneurial side — while also unleashing her inner fashionista — with the launch of her own apparel collection. A partnership with the Home Shopping Network (HSN), The Lacey Chabert Collection featured comfy loungewear, including pajamas and matching “Mommy & Me” outfits for moms and daughters. “This new venture expresses what I love most — the time I spend with my family,” Chabert exclaimed in a 2022 press release. “I hope my collection inspires others to celebrate the precious time they share with their loved ones, too.”
Interviewed by E! News, Chabert revealed that creating her own line of clothing was something that she’d long wanted to do — and that selling it on HSN was a total no-brainer. “Collaborating with HSN on this has been a dream come true,” she declared. “Clothing is such a way to express yourself, and I’m actually a longtime HSN shopper!”
In 2024, Chabert took to Instagram to announce she was expanding her collection by adding ready-to-wear items such as denim jackets and knit lace dresses.
She entered a multi-picture deal with Hallmark
As the years progressed, Lacey Chabert became a staple on the Hallmark Channel, appearing in nearly 40 movies. When several actors followed Hallmark defector Candace Cameron Bure to GAC, Chabert was not among them; in fact, she staked her claim by signing on with Crown Media (parent company of Hallmark) to remain one of the network’s signature stars.
In February 2022, Deadline reported that Chabert had signed a two-year, multi-picture deal with Hallmark. Not only would she be starring in these projects, but the deal also included behind-the-camera efforts that would see her produce movies and develop other content for Hallmark-branded platforms. “Lacey’s warmth, talent, relatability, and creative sensibilities have endeared her to millions of Hallmark viewers for more than 10 years, making her one of our most in-demand stars,” said Crown Media exec Lisa Hamilton Daly in a statement announcing its new partnership with Chabert.
She revived Gretchen Wieners for some Mean Girls commercials for Walmart, and they were totally fetch
Even though “Mean Girls” came out way back in 2004, the film has remained firmly ensconced with the pop-culture landscape. Nearly 20 years later, Lacey Chabert revisited Gretchen Wieners in a series of TV commercials for Walmart. Plugging the big box store’s Black Friday deals, the tongue-in-cheek ad spots gave fans a glimpse into what the character’s life was like as an adult.
For fans of the film, the commercials were a celebration in nostalgia, reuniting Chabert with her former co-stars Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Seyfried — who are all revealed to be mothers of teenage daughters. While Chabert is apparently a stay-at-home mom, Lohan’s character is now a school guidance counselor, while Seyfried’s is a TV news reporter.
“It was even more fun than it looked,” Chabert told Yahoo! Entertainment of reuniting with her co-stars. “It was a really special day to be with Lindsay and Amanda again and to reminisce about the experience we had together, which is just so unique, and to catch up with each other. We’re all moms now! It was really a full-circle moment.”
Lacey Chabert went unscripted for Hallmark and headed to Netflix
Hallmark Channel has long been the destination for delightfully sappy rom-coms and formulaic holiday movies about big-city career women who return to their small hometowns only to reconnect with a former flame (while rediscovering the true meaning of Christmas, of course).
While the network had dabbled in unscripted programming, in 2024, Hallmark Channel went all-in by launching “Celebrations with Lacey Chabert.” In the series — for Hallmark’s new streaming service, H+ — Chabert surprises deserving people with fabulous blowout bashes put on by top party planners. “I love celebrating,” Chabert told Us Weekly about why the series was so natural for her. “So I’ve always dreamed of doing a show where we get to celebrate people who are so deserving.”
While remaining firmly ensconced within the Hallmark universe, Chabert also ventured into new (albeit familiar) territory when Variety reported that she would be headlining a new Christmas-themed rom-com — not for Hallmark, but for Netflix. The premise of the film, which was set to debut during the 2024 holiday season, was slightly more fantastical than the other Christmas movies in which she’d starred but remained in her lane. “Two years after losing her husband, Cathy magically brings a handsome snowman to life!” read the project’s logline. “Through his naïveté, the snowman helps Cathy to laugh, feel and love again, as the two fall for each other just in time for the holidays … and before he melts.”