Mean Girls star Lacey Chabert, 42, talks Hollywood ageism after Hallmark denies regarding her as 'old talent'

Mean Girls star Lacey Chabert, 42, has given her view of ageism in Hollywood - after the Hallmark Channel denied regarding her as 'old talent.' 

Lacey has starred in more than 30 TV movies for the network, to the point of being dubbed the 'Queen Of Hallmark Christmas Movies.'

However a new lawsuit has accused a Hallmark executive of saying: 'Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older.'

The channel has issued a statement insisting that 'we deny these outrageous allegations' and maintaining that Lacey has 'a home at Hallmark.'

Now Lacey has shared her own take on the general issue of growing older in show business, saying: 'I think it’s important that we have the opportunity to tell all of our stories through every phase of life.' 

She added: 'I have so much that I hope to share with my audience. Now I’m a mother, and it’s the experience of raising a daughter,' via Variety. 

Lacey married her husband David Nehdar three days before Christmas 2013, and they now share an eight-year-old daughter called Julia.

'It’s so important to me to portray characters that she, as a younger generation, can also look up to and learn from,' said Lacey.

The Mississippi native, who started off as a child star, added: 'And with everything I do, I try to put as much of my authentic heart into it as I can.'

Lacey's remarks come after she was mentioned in an age discrimination lawsuit filed against the Hallmark Channel last month.

Casting director Penny Perry, 79, took the network to court alleging that they fired her after nine years and then filled her position with a younger man.

She claimed executive VP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daily felt Penny was 'too old to work in her position and maneuvered to push her out of the company.' 

Penny accused Lisa of saying: 'We need to bring in someone who knows more young talent. Our leading ladies are aging out.'

She alleged further that Lisa said: 'Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older.'

In her lawsuit, Penny asserted that Lisa referred to Lacey and Holly Robinson Peete, 60, as 'old talent' who ought to be 'replaced,' according to NBC.

Hallmark disputed the claims with a statement saying: 'Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We do not generally comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we are not going to discuss an employment relationship in the media.'

Lacey has expanded her work in holiday movies beyond Hallmark and will now be featuring in the upcoming Netflix Christmas film Hot Frosty.

She also has a seasonal TV movie gearing up for broadcast on the Hallmark Channel - The Christmas Quest, slated to premiere December 1. 

Lacey began her showbiz career as a little girl, appearing in child beauty pageants in Mississippi and eventually in Les Miserables on Broadway at the age of nine.

Onscreen, she first made her bones in television in the 1990s with roles on the soap opera All My Children and the teen drama Party Of Five. 

In 2004, when she was 21, fans saw her as her most famous character to date - a ditzy teenage girl in the beloved comedy Mean Girls.

Written by Tina Fey, the movie starred Lindsay Lohan as a transfer student attempting to adjust to life at a new high school. 

Lacey played Gretchen Wieners, a member of the reigning popular girl group the Plastics, led by the feared Regina George (Rachel McAdams). 

Gretchen is the character who hopes to popularize the word 'fetch' as slang for 'cool,' only to be famously told: 'Stop trying to make "fetch" happen.'