Candace Cameron Bure is looking forward to shooting “another four to five movies” with Great American Family in 2025, but her road to happiness with the network hasn’t been easy.
“It certainly is difficult when talking to media outlets,” Cameron Bure, 48, confessed to The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Wednesday, December 25. “While we are grateful for media outlets that point people to our channels, there’s still always a risk because the answers can be written out of context.”
The actress noted that her past comments about Great American Family — which is a channel under the Great American Media banner — focusing on “traditional marriage” as opposed to Hallmark Channel’s more inclusive story lines (including same sex couples, etc.) was a bump in the road.
“That certainly happened to me when moving over to Great American Family, and it was a really hard time,” Cameron Bure recalled. “And to be misunderstood in that way was difficult.”
Related: Everything Candace Cameron Bure Has Said About Leaving Hallmark for GAF
Candace Cameron Bure shocked fans in April 2022 when she announced that she was leaving Hallmark Media for Great American Media. The actress starred in 10 holiday films for Hallmark Channel during her 13 years with the network, earning her the title of “Queen of Christmas” from viewers and critics alike. She also helmed Hallmark […]
The Full House alum made headlines in April 2022 when she announced that she was leaving Hallmark Media after 13 years to work exclusively with Great American Media. The move reunited Cameron Bure with Hallmark’s former CEO, Bill Abbott, who raised eyebrows before his own departure from the network when he removed an ad featuring a same-sex couple from the channel.
In November 2022, Cameron Bure explained her reason for switching networks after previously being the face of Hallmark’s holiday coverage and being dubbed the “Queen of Christmas.” She told The Wall Street Journal’s WSJ. Magazine at the time, “My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them.”
She claimed that Hallmark was a “completely different network than when I started” and she was excited to work with Great American Family due to its desire to “promote faith programming and good family entertainment.”
Cameron Bure added, “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.”
The comment caused outrage among fans and celebrities alike with some people calling Cameron Bure a “bigot.”
Cameron Bure — who has now produced several movies for Great American Family under her Candy Rock Entertainment production company banner — shared a message of sadness at the time over the backlash she received.
Related: Candace Cameron Bure Doesn’t Speak for Great American Family, Says CEO
Great American Family CEO Bill Abbott supports Candace Cameron Bure’s star power — but that doesn’t mean he thinks she’s a spokesperson for the network. “We’re proud to have her here, and she works so well with the team alongside me, and we have a really talented and dedicated team that’s committed to high-quality faith […]
“All of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people,” she began in a lengthy statement shared via Instagram in November 2022. “It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone. 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.”
She noted that she is a “devoted Christian” who said she is “called to love all people.”
Cameron Bure concluded: “To everyone reading this, of any race, creed, sexuality, or political party, including those who have tried to bully me with name-calling, I love you.”
Two years later, Cameron Bure said that Great American Family is still trying to get their footing in the media realm and working toward its faith-focused content.
“We are a relatively new channel. This is only our fourth year in Christmas,” she told THR. “Like any new business, you have your core demographic and what you’re looking for, and you’re going to produce the product that will best suit that audience.”
The Fuller House alum continued: “Most networks are not trying to be all things to all people. What really differentiates our channel from some of the other ones out there is that we’re not afraid to talk about God and God’s hand in our lives instead of fate or providence.”
Cameron Bure pointed out that Great American Family leans into “faith in our movies” that align with their tagline for the channel which is: “Christmas as it’s meant to be.”
Because of that, the actress and producer said she looks for stories to tell on the network that “touch the heart and have more purpose to them than just the magic of Christmas or the Santa Claus of Christmas.”
Despite any past backlash over her remarks, Cameron Bure said she has always stayed true to her goal with Great American Family — which means putting love and God first.
“It’s always been the spirit of all the movies that I’ve produced. God loves all of us, and so that’s the spirit in which I make everything,” she concluded.
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