Hilarie Burton called Candace Cameron Bure a “bigot” over the comments the Full House alum made about Great American Family and how the network has no plans to include same-sex couples in their movies. The A Christmas … Present actress stirred up controversy with a Wall Street Journal interview published Monday in which she discussed her decision to leave the Hallmark Channel and launch a new partnership with GAF, which was started by former Hallmark exec Bill Abbott.
Asked if GAF would include same-sex couples in their films, Bure, who serves as the chief creative officer for the network, replied, “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.” Abbott chimed in that “it’s certainly the year 2022, so we’re aware of the trends. There’s no whiteboard that says, ‘Yes, this’ or ‘No, we’ll never go here.’”
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Burton, who has appeared in several Hallmark Channel movies throughout the years, was quick to weigh in on Bure’s stance. “Bigot. 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 on Twitter. The One Tree Hill actress added of GAF, “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.’ That guy and his network are disgusting. You too Candy. There is nothing untraditional about same-sex couples.”
Bure announced her exit from the Hallmark Channel in April after a partnership that lasted longer than a decade. “My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them. 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,” she told WSJ.
The Fuller House alum added that Hallmark “basically is a completely different network than when I started because of the change of leadership.” The Hallmark Channel has continued to promise a more diverse lineup of holiday programming over the years and will feature an LGBTQ+ love story in its upcoming movie, The Holiday Sitter.
