Are Hallmark Stars Jill Wagner & Lindsay Wagner Actually Related?

You'd be forgiven for thinking Jill Wagner and Lindsay Wagner are related in some way, but it turns out these Hallmark stars actually have zero family ties. Well, we guess they're part of the Hallmark family (insert cozy, sentimental music connoting the true meaning of family here). However, that's about it. 

It certainly would be sweet to find out that Jill and Lindsay were related. After all, Jill previously told MediaVillage.com that the reason she joined Hallmark in the first place was because of a request by her grandmother. "I asked my grandmother what she wanted me to do that I hadn't yet done in my career. She said, 'Hallmark movies.' I took that to heart, called my manager and said, 'Can we get a Hallmark movie going?'" she recounted to the outlet. 

As we said, it would be the stuff of Hallmark movies if it came to light that the grandmother who encouraged her to pursue the channel also happened to be Lindsay's mom. However, it transpires that Wagner is actually a fairly common surname in the US. We're talking top 200 most popular last names, here — so in answer to any follow-ups about yet another Hallmark star with the same last name, no, Jill is not Jack Wagner's long-lost daughter. Having said that, it is worth noting that when it comes to family, both Jill and Lindsay do have a few things in common. 

Lindsay Wagner and Jill Wagner aren't related, but both Hallmark actors have faced some serious heartache in their own families. And far from trying to keep that under wraps, both have opened up about it to some degree. 

In addition to being an actor, Lindsay is a staunch advocate for domestic violence awareness, and much of that is because of her own experiences growing up. As she explained in a 1987 interview with the Chicago Tribune, she faced some serious turbulence in her childhood. In fact, she shared that she ended up living with her aunt for a time because of it. Though her mother and stepfather ultimately divorced, and she was able to move back in with her mom. She's also said keeping all her inner turmoil over witnessing domestic violence contributed to stomach ulcers in her teen years.  

While not nearly as dramatic, Jill has also pointed to a sometimes testy family dynamic with her mom. It's well-documented that her dad and grandmother were super hands-on during her childhood, mentions of her mom are scant — and some biographies even claim her mother passed away when she was a baby. However, in a Facebook post for Mother's Day 2022, she shared a snap of them together. In the accompanying caption, she admitted that their mother/daughter relationship had been strained but that she loved her and was wishing her a happy Mother's Day. 

Another thing Jill Wagner and Lindsay Wagner have in common? Moving on from the past heartache they had with their families. 

In Lindsay's case, she revealed in a speech at the University of California San Diego's 2019 Global Empowerment Summit that she'd done enough work to feel empathetic toward her abusive former stepfather. She also said she'd been able to understand that his abuse stemmed from the pain he was dealing with. "Because I'm grounded in myself, I can see he's hurting," she explained (via The San Diego Union-Tribune). Jill's 2022 Mother's Day message revealed that she, too, had developed compassion for her mother. "I believe a mother/daughter relationship is one that blooms eventually as you see one another as woman to woman. I respect you in a new way now that I am a mother myself," she wrote in the Facebook post. 

While not necessarily the same, both Jill and Lindsay have been able to move past heartbreaking dynamics and forgive, so they definitely have more than a last name in common. As such, we're of the mind that the two Hallmark stars should work together at some point, if just for the excitement of seeing both Wagners side by side. Sadly, though, it seems Jill has made the move to Great American Family. Hey, both actors have made it big outside of Hallmark anyway, so maybe we'll see them co-star somewhere else, someday.