Heavy/Getty Hallmark and "Falling for Football" co-stars Tyler Hynes and Janel Parrish
When the Kansas City Chiefs won the 2024 Super Bowl on February 11, it was an extra-sweet victory for Hallmark Channel stars Tyler Hynes and Janel Parrish. Weeks after they starred in the viral “Falling for Football” spoof movie trailer, produced by the Chiefs organization to celebrate the postseason, the actors were thrilled to head to Kansas City for the team’s Super Bowl victory parade on February 14.
In anticipation of his trip, Hynes wrote on Threads that he was “parade bound,” punctuated by celebratory emoji. He also wrote on Instagram, “Heck of a way to spend Valentine’s Day 💝🌹”
But the parade, which CNN estimated drew one million fans to the city streets, was overshadowed by tragedy by day’s end. As Chiefs players wrapped up their comments onstage, 22 people were suddenly hit by gunfire, including one who died and eight who suffered “immediately life-threatening” injuries, according to the Washington Post.
By evening, the paper reported, 11 children were hospitalized, including nine with gunshot wounds, and three suspects had been apprehended. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Star identified the person who died as Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a local radio DJ and mom of two.
As news spread about the tragedy, many Hallmark fans began to worry about Hynes and Parrish. Eventually, though, both stars let their fans know that they were safe but clearly shaken by the tragedy.
Fans Respond With Relief & Sadness Over Janel Parrish & Tyler Hynes’ Updates
The mass shooting in Kansas City occurred around 2:13 p.m., according to Time, but it’s not clear where along the parade route Hynes and Parrish were stationed.
At 4 p.m., Parrish let fans know she was safe in a somber tweet. She wrote, “I love you, Kansas City. I’m here with you. I’m crying for you. 🤍”
I love you, Kansas City. I’m here with you. I’m crying for you. 🤍
Parrish’s tweet was liked by hundreds of fans, and some expressed how upset they were by the tragedy, including one who wrote, “My friends got hurt there I hate this so much 💔”
Later in her Instagram Stories, Parrish posted a recent selfie with her husband and wrote, “Grateful for my valentine. Especially today @c_long 🤍.”
She also shared a statement from the Kansas City Chiefs that denounced the “senseless act of violence” at the parade.
Hynes, meanwhile, remained silent on social media for several hours. In the early evening, an Instagram fan account called Hynies Headquarters posted an image that simply said, “FROM ANDREW … TYLER IS SAFE.”
The post was made after Hynies Headquarters heard from the admin of the official Facebook fan group for actor Andrew Walker. Walker has known Hynes for 20 years — not only as a fellow Hallmark star, but because his wife, Cassandra, is Hynes’ cousin. He was able to confirm that Hynes was, indeed, safe in Kansas City after the shooting.
Many fans expressed their relief, including one who wrote, “I’ve been wondering about Tyler since I heard about the parade news. I’m so glad he’s ok❤️❤️”
About an hour after that update, Hynes added one poignant post to his own Instagram Stories: a small white heart on a black background, which is typically used to symbolize when someone has died. It was a sobering change from the bright pink heart wrapped in a bow that Hynes had posted the day before in anticipation of his trip to Kansas City.
Meanwhile, Kat McNamara, who starred in January’s “True Justice: Family Ties,” grew up in Kansas City and posted a heartfelt message after the shooting.
“My heart goes out to all the people of Kansas City affected by today’s tragedy,” she wrote. “I have always known my hometown to be one of love and compassion. May those hurting because of this be enveloped in and cared for by this community spirit.”
Kansas City Chiefs Recruited Tyler Hynes & Janel Parrish for Postseason Spoof Trailer
As part of the Chiefs’ “‘Tis the Postseason” promotional campaign for the NFL playoffs, the organization called upon Hynes and Parrish, who co-starred in the 2023 Hallmark holiday movie “Never Been Chris’d,” to star in a parody trailer for “Falling for Football,” per Variety.
The collaboration was a match made in Hallmark heaven, given that the card company’s headquarters are in Kansas City and there’s been so much attention on the blossoming romance between tight end Travis Kelce and music megastar Taylor Swift. In December, Hynes told Variety, he and Parrish traveled to Kansas City to film the parody and immersed themselves in Chiefs’ fandom.
In the spoof trailer, Parrish’s character hates the NFL postseason after being left at the altar so her former flame could watch a playoff game. Knowing this, her new love interest, played by Hynes, tries to hide that he works at the Chiefs’ merchandise store. When she discovers his love of football and the Chiefs, she initially bolts until a change of heart — inspired by a cameo from Kelce’s mom, Donna — convinces her to give love and football another chance.
With subtle nods to Swift (like Hynes organizing friendship bracelets in the store) and additional cameos from players Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith and Tommy Townsend, the parody trailer quickly went viral.
A native Canadian, Hynes didn’t grown up watching football, but this experience made him a Chiefs fan.
“I grew up without the money to afford organized sports and was a skateboarder, but going to Kansas, the folks who were taking care of us there — the whole PR team, everyone — I was genuinely moved and touched by this whole experience and how sweet these people were,” he told Variety. “They gave us jerseys with our names on them. And it was really, really beautiful. I went home and started watching the Netflix documentary series, fast forwarding to all of Patrick Mahomes’ parts.”