Heavy/Hallmark Longtime Hallmark star Ryan Paevey
As fans weigh in on social media about the reasons longtime Hallmark star Ryan Paevey, 39, has decided to “step back from acting” — outlined in an exclusive statement issued via Heavy on June 21, 2024 — Hallmark Media has also responded to the actor’s remarks.
Paevey, who starred in 16 Hallmark movies between 2016 and 2023, according to IMDb, wrote the four-paragraph statement to explain the personal and professional challenges that influenced his decision. After “many years of smooth sailing” in Hollywood, Paevey shared, “the waters have been much rougher the last year or so.”
“I’ve had bank accounts hacked, money embezzled, investments stolen….things that, while difficult, can be recovered from,” Paevey wrote in his statement. “But after all that, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. I left Los Angeles to be closer to her, and feel the need to devote more of my time, energy, and resources closer to home.”
Late on June 22, in response to Heavy’s request for comment, Hallmark Media provided a statement that reads, “We’re very sorry for all that Ryan is going through and our thoughts are with him in his effort to take care of himself as well as his mother and we wish him well.”
Many Fans Say They ‘Admire’ Ryan Paevey’s Decision
GettyRyan Paevey (far right) attended a Hallmark holiday screening event in 2022 with fellow stars Jonathan Bennett, George Krissa, Rachel Boston, Erin Cahill, Nikki DeLoach, Andrew Walker, and Ginna Claire Mason
Hours after his lengthy statement was published by Heavy, Paevey shared his remarks in a video on Instagram, which was viewed over 456,000 times in less than 48 hours. With comments deactivated, fans have not been able to respond to him directly, but several Hallmark stars liked the post, including Nikki DeLoach, Autumn Reeser, Brooke D’Orsay and Taylor Cole.
Stepping back from acting is something Paevey considered for months, even making headlines for tweets he wrote in early April, when he replied to a curious fan that there was “sadly no word of a film” on the horizon, and that he was considering taking the year “off from filming, unless the project is with friends.”
However, many of Paevey’s fans held out hope that news of an upcoming movie would surface, so his June 21 statement, making his decision official, elicited lots of reactions on social media.
On the Heavy on Hallmark Facebook page, hundreds offered words of encouragement to the actor, including one who wrote, “Wow. How I admire this man. Knowing when to step back and put his focus where it’s needed – family and self. God’s Blessings Ryan!! Rock on!! 
“
“Ryan, I have always enjoyed your performances, especially on Hallmark,” another supporter wrote. “I so respect your honesty and caring heart that you have chosen to be supportive to your mother at this most difficult time for her to battle cancer. It is a rough fight she is in, and your actions of love and support can mean so much as she recovers her health. Know that you are even more admired as a man that clearly chose the path that you are on….and know that prayers of support and caring go with you and your mother. 
”
Fans on X were largely supportive, too, while also expressing how sad they were to see Paevey go, including one who tweeted, “I get the need to be with family, but I am still bummed. Don’t know how much a step back he’s going to take.”
In a Reddit thread about Paevey’s statement, Hallmark fans were more critical of his remarks and the way he’s handled various issues online in the past.
“I have followed Ryan’s career for years now, and the social media cringe is real,” one person wrote. “I always figured out his looks and popularity helped him get away with his surprising behavior.”
“He seems to be having a tough time,” another commented, “but I find the public statement a bit much and attention-seeking.”
Ryan Paevey Deactivated All But One Social Media Account
HallmarkRyan Paevey
In Paevey’s June 21 statement, he thanked many who made his career possible since he landed his first recurring role on “General Hospital” in 2013, but he also admitted he hadn’t always handled challenges well publicly.
“The industry hasn’t felt like the place for me in quite some time now, and my mental health has suffered from it,” he wrote. “It’s taken me to a bit of a dark place, made me into a version of myself I don’t like very much. I’ve vented some of my anger and frustration publicly, and for that I apologize.”
That said, Paevey has found it frustrating that comments he’s made on social media were sometimes picked up by bloggers or the media and, he said, not reported accurately.
“I am certainly accustomed to a certain degree of gossip,” he wrote in his statement, “but the past few weeks in particular have gotten out of control with speculation from third parties that have taken my words and expanded upon them to meet their narrative, or flat out misrepresented my words or misconstrued their meaning.”
As a result, Paevey deactivated his X and Facebook accounts on June 20, and deactivated comments on his Instagram account, which he told Heavy will be his only social media platform going forward to communicate to fans. The Instagram account for his jewelry and apparel business, Fortunate Wanderer, will be run by a team member, he said.