Heavy/Getty Many people have called Hallmark actress Lacey Chabert the "queen of Christmas"
With more than a dozen Hallmark Christmas movies under her belt and as the only actress starring in two movies during Hallmark’s 2023 Countdown to Christmas, Lacey Chabert seems to have cemented her status as the “Queen of Christmas.”
Unofficially crowned by Hallmark fans and countless media outlets in recent years, Chabert has often humbly laughed off the moniker. But in a new interview, she said she thinks the title really belongs to Mariah Carey, who actually fought — and failed — to trademark the term and also directed Chabert in one of her Hallmark Christmas movies.
“I could never take her crown,” Chabert told E! News in an interview on November 14, 2023. “I love her.”
But Chabert’s Hallmark bestie and fellow “Mean Girls” alum Jonathan Bennett certainly thinks his pal deserves the title, jokingly telling Extra the night before, “We bow down to her!”
Here’s what you need to know:
Lacey Chabert Laughs Off ‘Queen of Christmas’ Title in New Interviews
When Chabert sat down with E! News, host Gina St. John immediately asked, “Are you coming for Mariah’s Christmas crown? Because you have two Christmas movies coming out just this month alone!”
Laughing, Chabert said, “Well, I could never take her crown. I love her. She actually directed one of the Christmas movies that I did a few years ago. But I love making these movies because I love the holiday season so much and I feel really honored to be part of bringing some joy into people’s homes.”
Carey, who co-starred with and directed Chabert and Brennan Elliott in 2015’s “A Christmas Melody,” tried to trademark the title “Queen of Christmas” in 2022, according to NPR, given the popularity of her classic Christmas tunes. According to Billboard, Carey and Sony Music earned nearly $2 million in 2022 alone from just one of her nearly 30-year-old holiday hits, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
But Carey faced fierce pushback for trying to claim the “Queen of Christmas” title, especially from singer Darlene Love, who claims David Letterman gave her that moniker years ago, and songwriter Elizabeth Chan, known as “the world’s only full-time Christmas recording artist,” according to Entertainment Weekly. The U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board wound up denying Carey’s request.
Jonathan Bennett is Among Those Who Think His Pal Lacey Chabert is the Real Queen of Christmas
On November 13, the night before Chabert’s interview on E! News, she and Bennett appeared together at the Hallmark-sponsored “Christmas at The Grove” tree lighting ceremony in Los Angeles.
After the event, Bennett posted a cute slow-motion Instagram video of himself and Chabert walking arm-in-arm across the festive stage and wrote, “Mom and Dad are home, so that means Christmas is finally here.”
When a reporter at Extra elevated their titles on the red carpet, calling them the “King and Queen of Hallmark Christmas,” the duo’s mouths dropped open and they looked at each other excitedly, laughing. As Chabert began to express her thanks for the kind words, Bennett motioned like he was bowing down to royalty.
“We bow down to her, the Queen of Christmas” he said as she laughed and shook her head.
Chabert tried to take the spotlight off herself, saying, “We’re so happy to be here, I mean, Christmas is the best time.”
Leaning on Bennett, she added, “(It’s) my favorite time of year, with one of my favorite people.”
After Chabert was asked to talk about her upcoming Christmas movies, “A Merry Scottish Christmas” co-starring Scott Wolf and “Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up,” Bennett gushed again over his pal.
As she laughed, he said, “You hear that? Lacey Chabert, double feature, Hallmark Channel Christmas. Doesn’t get any better than that!”
Chabert’s “A Merry Scottish Christmas” premieres on November 18 and the sequel to last year’s hit, “Haul Out the Holly,” premieres on November 25. Meanwhile, Bennett’s 2023 holiday movie, “Christmas on Cherry Lane,” premieres on December 9.