Instagram Jonathan Bennett on Instagram.
Jonathan Bennett’s mother died in 2012 and then, just two years later, his father died. With so much loss in such a short time, Bennett needed his friends close. He said that Danica McKellar was one of a group of five Hallmark “angels” who really pulled through for him and helped him find joy after so much heartache.
He Said Danica McKellar and Four Other Hallmark Stars Were His ‘Roster of Angels’
In an interview with Glamour in 2018, Bennett revealed that five Hallmark stars were his “roster of angels” after his dad died. He said that after his dad died, Christmas became a very sad time for him.
He told Glamour: “The holidays always meant a time of sadness. Once my parents passed, each Christmas wasn’t what it used to be. But then I started being involved in and watching these movies, and it really reminds you that it’s all about love.”
He said that five actresses, in particular, helped him find joy again after experiencing so much heartache. He told Glamour that his “roster of angels” included McKellar, Alexa PenaVega, Lacey Chabert, Rachel Boston, and Jen Lilley.
He said about the women: “They are some of the most beautiful human beings I’ve ever met, so it makes me so happy to be part of a network with so many dear friends.”
Of course, Bennett and Chabert go back even farther than Hallmark, since they both starred in Mean Girls together.
PenaVega starred with Bennett in Hallmark’s Christmas Made to Order.
In an interview with TV Insider, she said about Bennett: “Johnny is a riot. The joke on set was, if he was ever not working or in a scene with me, I would text him like, ‘Wow, it’s amazing how peaceful and quiet it is when you’re not here,’ but totally teasing him, because he just shows up and he’s a bundle of energy. He makes it way more exciting, way more fun. He just amps up that energy, and it’s hilarious because we’re both talkers.”
Bennett has been starring in Hallmark movies for 10 years now. He told Metro Source in 2020 that half of the actors at Hallmark are now his best friends.
“Half of the actors on the network are my best friends – Rachel Boston, Lacey Chabert, Danica McKellar, and Sam Page,” he said. “I grew up in the industry with all these amazingly talented actors and we are family. I think the difference from the first Hallmark movie I did to this movie is that I just am now playing something more authentic to me, individually. We are making the Hallmark holiday table that much bigger this Christmas – all that’s happening is that the table is expanding.”
Then he added: “Danica, Rachel, and Lacey have always been my guardian angels on Earth, I feel. They have been there any time something major or dramatic has happened in my life. So, when the holidays come and we are all promoting our movies together, it just really does feel like a big family.”
Danica McKellar Took His Dad to ‘Dancing with the Stars’ When He Was Sick
On Instagram, Bennett shared that McKellar was there for his dad when he was really sick.
He wrote: “When my dad got sick, she made his last trip to LA better and took him as her date to DWTS. When he was really sick, she sent him fresh baked goods to make his appetite better.”
His Father Died of Brain Cancer Two Years After His Mother Died
In 2014, Bennett performed in Dancing with the Stars in memory of his parents, he told People. His dad died of brain cancer, and while he was in hospice the only show he wanted to watch was Dancing with the Stars, Bennett shared.
Dr. David Bennett, his father, was a doctor in Toledo, Ohio, who died of cancer at the age of 73. He was a physician for 45 years in family practice and emergency medicine. He was also a pilot and an active church member. Bennett’s mother, Ruthanne, died at the age of 67 in 2012. She was a supporter of high school drama programs and described as motherly to all the kids involved.
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