Voicing their opinions. Candace Cameron Bure is facing backlash for her controversial reasoning behind her decision to leave Hallmark Channel for Great American Media.
The Fuller House alum made headlines in November 2022 when she opened up about moving networks. “My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them,” she told The Wall Street Journal’s WSJ. Magazine about her new deal. “I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment.”
In response to a question about Great American Media’s potential plans to include LGBTQIA+ movies, Cameron Bure replied, “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.”
Meanwhile, Bill Abbott, who took over Great American Media in 2021 after his departure from Hallmark, also discussed the network’s programming. “It’s certainly the year 2022, so we’re aware of the trends,” he said. “There’s no whiteboard that says, ‘Yes, this’ or ‘No, we’ll never go here.’”
Celebrities including Hilarie Burton Morgan were quick to call out the California native for her comments. “Now they’re just openly admitting their bigotry. I called this s–t out years ago when Abbott was at Hallmark. Glad they dumped him. Being LGBTQ isn’t a ‘trend,’” the Lethal Weapon alum tweeted at the time. “That guy and his network are disgusting. You too Candy. There is nothing untraditional about same-sex couples.”
Natasha Bure, however, defended her mother in a public social post. “My favorite people in the entire world ,” the Farmer and the Belle star wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of Cameron Bure, dad Valeri Bure and brothers Lev and Maks. “The Lord blessed me with the best parents I could’ve ever asked for … Raising us up in the word of God and bringing glory to HIS name. I don’t know where I’d be without both of them.”
Cameron Bure’s daughter suggested that “society has gotten completely out of hand” when it comes to “cancel culture,” writing, “I am lucky to get to view you from a lense [sic] closer than most, and see how you are truly the real deal. The Lord shines through you time and time again. The battle is HIS. .”
Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ organization GLAAD offered Cameron Bure the opportunity to have a discussion about her views.
“It’s irresponsible and hurtful for Candace Cameron Bure to use tradition as a guise for exclusion. I’d love to have a conversation with Bure about my wife, our kids, and our family’s traditions,” GLAAD’s President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said. “Bure is out of sync with a growing majority of people of faith, including LGBTQ people of faith, who know that LGBTQ couples and families are deserving of love and visibility.”
The statement continued: “If GAC Family’s plan is to intentionally exclude stories about LGBTQ couples, then actors, advertisers, cable and streaming platforms, and production companies should take note and seriously consider whether they want to be associated with a network that holds exclusion as one of its values.”
Two days after the initial WSJ interview made headlines, Cameron Bure responded to the backlash with a lengthy statement shared via Instagram. “All of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people,” she wrote. “It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone. … I am a devoted Christian. Which means that I believe that every human being bears the image of God. Because of that, I am called to love all people, and I do. If you know me, you know that I am a person who loves fiercely and indiscriminately.”
Scroll down to see how stars responded to Cameron Bure’s comments: