Former Hallmark Channel Christmas Queen Candace Cameron Bure responded to the celebrities who have “tried to assassinate” her character over remarks she made about excluding same-sex couples from her upcoming holiday films.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Bure, 46, said she thinks that “Great American Family (GAF) will keep traditional marriage at the core,” rather than featuring same-sex relationships in their holiday films, unlike rival Hallmark, who will make history with their first ever gay led Christmas flick, The Holiday Sitter, on December 11.
“All of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people. It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone,” she began in lengthy statement to People on Wednesday.
“It saddens me that the media is often seeking to divide us, even around a subject as comforting and merry as Christmas movies. But, given the toxic climate in our culture right now, I shouldn’t be surprised. We need Christmas more than ever.”
Bure explained that she is a “devoted Christian” and that means she believes “every human being bears the image of God,” and because of that is “a person who loves fiercely and indiscriminately.”
She called out the media for manipulating her words as an “opportunity to fan flames of conflict and hate,” and expressed a message of love for the people who have bullied and tried to “assassinate” her character.
“I have long wanted to find a home for more faith-based programming. I am grateful to be an integral part of a young and growing network,” she added.
Bure also note that the WSJ excluded the part of the interview where she expressed “that people of all ethnicities and identities have and will continue to contribute to the network in great ways both in front of and behind the camera, which I encourage and fully support.”
The Fuller House star parted ways with the Hallmark Channel after a 14-year-long relationship in April to serve as the chief creative officer and leading actress at GAF, under CEO Bill Abbott, the former head of Hallmark.
In the same story, Abbott noted that LGBTQ content wasn’t totally off of the table for the new network. “It’s certainly the year 2022, so we’re aware of the trends,” he commented. “There’s no whiteboard that says, ‘Yes, this’ or ‘No, we’ll never go here.'”
Former One Tree Hill actress and current Hallmark star Hillary Burton Morgan lashed out at the pair after reading the interview. Now they’re just openly admitting their bigotry,” she tweeted on Monday.
“I called this s–t out years ago when Abbott was at Hallmark. Glad they dumped him. Being LGBTQ isn’t a “trend,” she continued. “That guy and his network are disgusting. You too Candy. There is nothing untraditional about same-sex couples.”
In a follow-up directed at Bure, Burton Morgan called her a “bigot” in a scathing post. “I don’t remember Jesus liking hypocrites like Candy. But sure. Make your money, honey. You ride that prejudice wave all the way to the bank,” she wrote.
The actress’s husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who stars in The Walking Dead, glibly added: “‘Make your money honey.’ Lol… cooked kids dinner and was laughing whole time. Wife has words AND timing.”
Bure received plenty of hate from other celebrities, including Dance Moms star Jojo Siwa, who she got into a public spat with in July, when the YouTuber went viral for calling her the older actress the “rudest” celebrity for snubbing her years ago at an industry party.
“Honestly, I can’t believe after everything that went down just a few months ago, that she would not only create a movie with [the] intention of excluding LGBTQIA+, but then also talk about it in the press. This is rude and hurtful to a whole community of people,” Siwa criticized on Instagram.
Bure’s Fuller House costar Jodie Sweetin responded to Siwa’s post with, “You know I love you.”
Hallmark Channel star Holly Robinson Peete added that Bure should “Go make the content that you want to make but why insist on castigating others? It’s the judgment for me,” Pete stated.
“As a proud mom of an lgbtqia person, the traditional marriage quote stung,” she continued. “Proud to be on Hallmark channel which understands the importance of diversity and inclusion of EVERYONE.”
“I’ve never been interested in proselytizing through my storytelling, but in celebrating God’s greatness in our lives through the stories I tell,” Bure defended in her statement.
“And in the sole motivation of pure love, I hope you’ll join me in sharing God’s hope for all the world this Christmas season,” she concluded. “Call that my Christmas wish.”