Jodie Sweetin ‘Disappointed’ Her Latest Movie Sold to Candace Cameron Bure’s Great American Family Network

Full House star Jodie Sweetin has publicly expressed her disappointment over her new film, Craft Me a Romance, being picked up by the GAF network, whose chief creative officer is her former co-star Candace Cameron Bure. Bure sparked controversy last fall after she was quoted in The Wall Street Journal as saying that GAF would be keeping “traditional marriage at the core” of its output, i.e., it would be very unlikely for GAF shows and films to include LGBTQ+ couples within them.”Sometimes, we, as actors, don’t have control over which network buys the projects we are in, nor are we a part of the process in which they get sold,” Sweetin said in a statement to PEOPLE. “So I was very surprised to learn by reading about it in the press yesterday that the independent film I worked on over a year ago was sold to Great American Family.” Sweetin added, “I am disappointed, but in keeping with my mission of supporting the LGBTQ+ family, any potential or future money made from this sale will be donated to LGBTQ+ organizations.”

On Aug. 9, GAF announced that Craft Me a Romance, which stars Sweetin, will air as a fall original movie on Sept. 16 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET. In the film, Sweetin is paired with Brent Bailey in a story about a quaint arts and crafts store owner who must sell the shop or else it will be forced to close. Both Sweetin and Bure starred in the Netflix series Full House, as well as its sequel, Fuller House. The former CEO of Hallmark Channel, Bill Abbott, who is now the chief executive officer of Great American Media, also addressed the issue of projects featuring same-sex couples, saying: “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.’”

A longstanding advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Sweetin has even expressed her support for them one month after Bure’s comments drew criticism, following previous affirmation of her solidarity. “I have always been an outspoken ally for LGBTQ communities, for Black Lives Matter,” Sweetin told Entertainment Tonight in December 2022. “I’ve always tried to fight for equality and love for everyone.” “I feel like if you have a voice and you have a platform, it is incumbent on you to be loud and use it.” Additionally, Sweetin showed her support for Jojo Siwa, who publicly called out Bure for her anti-LGBTQ comments via social media. Great American Family network has been America’s fastest-growing cable channel for nine consecutive months. Its stars include Danica McKellar, Trevor Donovan, and Andrea Barber.