When Calls the Heart Alum Brooke Shields Reveals Motive Behind Hallmark Exit

Brooke Shields has an impressive resume. She’s appeared on primetime shows like Lipstick Jungle and Suddenly Susan and had a stint on When Calls the Heart. However, she shocked Hearties when she abruptly left the Hallmark Channel.

Spilling the Tea

Shields is spilling the tea in her new book, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed To Get Old. Not only does she talk about aging, but she also opens up about body shaming and sexual assault and shares stories from her acting career.

She appeared in numerous Hallmark Media projects, including WCTH and Flower Shop Mysteries. Shields shared the reason behind her shocking exit from the network. She only signed a 16-movie deal with the Hallmark Channel, yet she only appeared in three of the films.

“I’d completed only three when I realized I had to renegotiate,” Shields explains in her book, per Soaps.com. “I’d been hired, I was told, to help change the face of the network. They wanted me to be funny and bring more comedy to their offerings, but as filming progressed on each of the Flower Shop Mysteries — the franchise I was hired to headline — all the humor had evaporated.”

On the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series, Shields played Abby Knight, a retired lawyer who owned a flower shop. In 2016, she appeared in three films: Flower Shop Mystery: Dearly Depotted, Flower Shop Mystery: Snipped in the Bud, and Mum’s the Word: A Flower Shop Mystery.

Short-Lived Stint on WCTH

Hearties are familiar with Shields’s work on WTCH. She guest starred on the series as Charlotte Thornton, who was Jack (Daniel Lissing) and Tom’s (Max Lloyd-Jones) mother. Charlotte was also Elizabeth’s (Erin Krakow) former mother-in-law. Shields also appeared in Season 3 of the hit series during 2016. Despite her departure, the Blue Lagoon alum harbors no ill will against the network.

“Not everything is for everyone, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Hallmark Channel — God knows it has a huge fan base — but it was not the future I wanted for my career,” Shields wrote. She suggested that she didn’t expect to film that many movies and television shows in one year. All in all, it just wasn’t the right fit for her.

Shields wanted to pursue “other opportunities” during that time. Her goal was to spend more time with her family. Although she prides herself as a hard worker, Shields didn’t like the hectic filming schedule. That’s when she made the difficult decision to quit the network. “I definitely surprised some people, and in plenty of ways, I surprised myself. I certainly would never have done that in my 20s,” Shields added.