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Actor Tyler Hynes just got an early Christmas gift. The Hallmark star says he’ll be “tripping all over” himself at the next Christmas Con when legendary comedian Chevy Chase appears as the event’s just-announced headliner.
Organizers of the bi-annual fan convention, designed especially for those who love holiday movies and want to meet the actors who star in them, announced Chase’s involvement on June 26, 2023, via People magazine and on social media.
Chase was, per TV Insider, “the first big star to come out of ‘Saturday Night Live.'” He starred as Clark Griswold in the 1989 classic “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” which many consider to be the penultimate holiday comedy. Reviewers at Esquire, Good Housekeeping and USA Today have all named it one of the top five Christmas movies of all time.
Many Hallmark stars expressed how stunned and excited they are by the news that Chase, who will turn 80 in October, will be at Christmas Con, scheduled for December 8-10 in New Jersey. Here’s what you need to know:
Tyler Hynes Says He Was Named After a Chevy Chase Character
In People’s story about Chase headlining the next Christmas Con, the magazine reported that in August 2022, Hynes revealed what a big fan he is of the comedian, saying that Chase would be his dream Christmas movie co-star.
Hynes said at the time, “I mean, if we’re talking about holiday stars, I would just think of Chevy Chase from the ‘Lampoon’ movies. ‘Christmas Vacation’ is one of those legendary movies I grew up on. Doing these movies now and having him be in it would be a full-circle moment.”
Hynes also told People that he was named after Chase’s character, Ty Webb, from another classic comedy, “Caddy Shack.” The actor circled his quote in the article and shared it in his Instagram Stories on June 26, adding, “Gonna have me tripping all over myself.”
And when the organization behind ChristmasCon, That’s4Entertainment, shared the news on its Instagram page, Hynes jokingly commented, “Papa?”
Other Hallmark stars were equally wowed by the upcoming chance to appear with Chase, who still makes occasional appearances despite being hospitalized for five weeks in 2021 due to “near-fatal heart failure,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Upon seeing the news, Cindy Busby wrote, “Say what???!!! Mele Kalikimaka indeed!!! 🥳🥳”
Benjamin Ayres chimed in with “Waaaaiiiit, whhhhhhhat?!”
“Holy crap,” wrote Ashley Williams, and Will Kemp added, “❤️🙌🔥👏”
Meanwhile, Jonathan Bennett added a classic Clark Griswold quote as his comment, writing, “I’m gonna look him straight in the eye and I’m gonna tell him what a cheap lying no good rotten four flushing low life in bred over stuffed ignorant blood sucking dog kissing brainless D** less hopeless hard less fat a**ed spotty lipped bug eyed wormed headed stiff legged sack of monkey sh** he is!!! Hallelujah! And Holy Sh**!”
Wes Brown shared the announcement to his Instagram Stories and wrote, “Passed out. Died. Came back to life. Got caught under an 18 wheeler hauling timber. Crashed into a Christmas tree farm. Came back to life. Died again. Got a 9th life with the cat from a Cousin Eddie mishap. Burnt a turkey. Fell through a ceiling. Dug up a tree. Took a lot of Tylenol. Died again. Ladies and gentlemen…CHEVY CHASE IS COMING TO CC IN NJ!!!”
According to Christmas Con’s social media posts, Chase will appear on Saturday and Sunday of the convention, with all photos and autographs pre-sold. VIP passes to the full weekend of events are sold out on the Christmas Con web site, but there are limited quantities of single day and weekend passes.
Chase is part of a new animated feature film to be released in theaters this holiday season. He provides the voice of Santa in “Glisten and the Merry Mission,” according to a press release from Build-a-Bear Entertainment. Other stars in the film include Freddie Prinze Jr., Michael Rappaport, and singers Julia Michaels, Dionne Warwick, and Billy Ray Cyrus, per Variety.
Hallmark Stars Say They Love Attending Fan Conventions for Insights, Information & Connection
Christmas Con began in 2019 in New Jersey, attracting 10,000 fans, according to New Jersey Community Magazine. New Jersey, where Christmas Con’s co-founders live, is the home base for the convention, with an event held there each December, and a summer convention held elsewhere. In early June, many stars and fans gathered for a three-day weekend in Kansas City.
Organizers have not yet announced the rest of the celebrity lineup for the December event, but the gatherings are becoming a tradition that many Hallmark stars feel increasingly compelled to attend. Not only do they get to meet their fans in-person, but they get to hang out with each other behind the scenes.
Bennett wrote a moving Instagram post after Christmas Con in Kansas City in early June, calling the actors who gathered there his “chosen family.”
“I can’t even explain how magical this weekend was,” he wrote. “This group of people are not just the stars of @hallmarkchannel but they are incredible human beings. They surround you with unconditional love and support and I feel so lucky to be a part of this insanely special family we have created.”
In November 2022, Wes Brown told ChristmasCon staffers during an Instagram Live session that attending their events allows him to remember who he’s making his Hallmark movies for.
He said, “I think that’s the best part about it, to see how many people show up to these things to let you know what traditions you’ve created in their life and so many memories. You don’t really see that or get a taste of that when you’re out on location filming sometimes.”
Meanwhile, Ayres was at Christmas Con last December when he was inspired to launch Romance University, his initiative that raises money for various causes through a line of specialty merchandise from a make-believe school for rom-com fans. Ayres took some tongue-in-cheek Romance University buttons to Christmas Con just for fun, to hand out to fans. He was blown away by the response and fans’ requests for more products. He has since raised over $11,000 through the project.
For June 2023, he and Bennett teamed up on a special Pride Month design available on t-shirts and tanks, with profits benefitting LGBTQ+ advocacy organization The Dru Project.
“The community just continues to build,” Ayres told Heavy. “I couldn’t be happier with the outcome and the continued support.”
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