Everyone Who's Called Out Hallmark Alum Candace Cameron Bure
On paper, Candace Cameron Bure seems like the least controversial celebrity around. She rose to fame on one of TV's most wholesome shows, "Full House," and later became a Hallmark darling (and the richest one at that), starring in a slew of beloved Christmas movies. Even when she exited the network and made the jump to Great American Family, she promised to keep delivering the same relatable, family-friendly content.
That doesn't sound like a problematic actor, is it? But you'd be surprised that Bure has quite the dark side. The "Fuller House" star has a knack for stirring up drama and has found herself at the center of several controversies. The most infamous of these was perhaps her remark about Great American Family not following Hallmark's lead in featuring same-sex relationships. "I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core," she told The Wall Street Journal in a 2022 interview.
Her statements triggered widespread backlash, not just from fans but from her peers in the industry, too. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. From Hilarie Burton calling her a "bigot" to JoJo Siwa naming her the "rudest celebrity" she's ever come across with, here are just some of the Hollywood stars who have called out Bure over the years.
Hilarie Burton called her a 'bigot'
Hilarie Burton was one of the many who found herself absolutely irked by Cameron Candace Bure's comments on "traditional marriage." The "One Tree Hill" alum wasted no time in calling out her former Hallmark co-star, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to blast her outright. Burton didn't hold back, going as far as to label Bure a "bigot." She tweeted, "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."
But Burton didn't stop there. In another tweet, she extended her critique to include Bill Abbott, president and CEO of GAC and former Hallmark exec, who is not only Bure's mentor but apparently shares her views. "Now they're just openly admitting their bigotry. I called this s*** out years ago when Abbott was at Hallmark. Glad they dumped him," Burton penned in response to Abbott's dismissive comments about LGBTQ themes on TV. "Being LGBTQ isn't a 'trend.' That guy and his network are disgusting. You too Candy. There is nothing untraditional about same-sex couples."
While Bure never directly responded to Burton's scathing remarks, she did address the overall backlash she got from her controversial statements. "It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone," she wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. "It saddens me that the media is often seeking to divide us, even around a subject as comforting and merry as Christmas movies."
JoJo Siwa said Candace is the 'rudest' celebrity she's met in her life
JoJo Siwa and Candace Cameron Bure are probably the last people you'd expect to have beef, but their feud started when Siwa was just 11 years old. On TikTok, Siwa called Bure the "rudest celebrity" she'd ever met, leaving everyone wondering what went down. Bure then set the record straight, saying she couldn't take a picture with Siwa at the "Fuller House" premiere, unintentionally snubbing the young fan. "I feel crummy, I feel — JoJo, I'm so sorry," she said on Instagram.
Siwa initially brushed it off, telling Page Six that she understood Bure's side of the story. "I was 11, and I was a big, big fan, and I wanted to take a picture with her, and it wasn't a good time for her," she said. She even lamented bringing it up — until Bure's controversial "traditional marriage" comments hit the headlines. The "Dance Moms" alum, who identifies as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, admitted that she felt hurt by her idol's words and felt the need to speak up.
"Not everything needs to be gay, essentially. But when you're doing it out of spite to say, 'Too much is about LGBTQ right now, you guys suck and I want to make a movie about traditional marriage, and you're not traditional,' that got to me a little bit," she said in a "Viall Files" podcast appearance. "I'm OK with calling her out in the way that I did... I've got to stand up for my people, and that's messed up."
She and Jodie Sweetin had a falling out
It's pretty obvious that Candace Cameron Bure's "traditional marriage" comments alienated a lot of people — including her longtime friend and "Full House" co-star Jodie Sweetin. The on-screen sisters were once as thick as thieves, but Bure's remarks drove a wedge between them and fractured their friendship.
Sweetin didn't directly blast Bure like some other celebs, but she got her point across by reposting Holly Robinson Peete's message, which partly read, "When we hear the words 'traditional' marriage to describe one type of marriage, it belittles the love and commitment that many legally married people have for each other and it triggers many of us to a time that we remember how the word 'tradition' was cloaked in Christianity and we were basically told that God didn't want equality for all." Soon after, fans noticed that Bure had unfollowed Sweetin on social media, and according to an insider, Bure's comments were a major point of contention. "Jodie does not agree with Candace's remarks and wanted to show where she stands," they divulged to ET. "Candace is upset that Jodie chose to do this in a public way instead of talking to her one-on-one."
And it looks like the two never patched things up. When Sweetin's film was sold to Bure's network, she didn't hide her frustration. "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," she shared with People.
Candace and Raven-Symoné fought on live television
Raven-Symoné and Candace Cameron Bure aren't exactly besties, but they're not mortal enemies either. These former "The View" co-hosts usually manage to keep things civil despite their differing views, but back in 2015, they had a memorable clash over a controversial issue: an Oregon bakery refusing to make a wedding cake for an LGBTQ couple.
Symoné laid it out clearly, saying, "The Oregon law bars businesses from discriminating against sexual orientation, race, disability, age or religion, and to me, it's the same exact thing that they did back in the day saying that black people couldn't do certain things because it's my 'religious belief,'" Bure then fired back, "I don't think this is discrimination at all. This is about freedom of association," she remarked. "It's about constitutional rights. It's about First Amendment rights. We do have the right to still choose who we associate with." An exasperated Symoné finally had enough and cut her off. "I refuse to associate with you right now," she said.
Bure faced a wave of backlash but stood her ground, telling HuffPost she was "pleased" with her handling of the situation. "I don't know that I would make the same decisions that the bakers made, as a Christian, but I will always fight for the freedom," she said (via The Wrap). Despite their on-air spat, the two apparently patched things up, with Symoné later reflecting that the experience taught her what was fit for TV and what wasn't. "I also learned that some conversations are couch conversations for home and not for live television," she told ET.
Danny Pintauro felt maligned by Candace
Candace Cameron Bure only co-hosted "The View" for two seasons, but she managed to leave a lasting impression on actor Danny Pintauro for all the wrong reasons, that he didn't hesitate to rip her years later. The "Who's the Boss?" star, who guested on the show in 2015, felt utterly mistreated by Bure. Looking back, he said her comments at the time were so out of line he felt belittled.
"I was disappointed in the way she treated me when I was on The View. ... [She treated me] poorly. She basically said, 'Do you take responsibility for getting HIV because you were living a promiscuous lifestyle?' And turned on the spot to my husband and said, 'Do you have unprotected sex with your husband?'" he recalled on the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast. "I mean, it was horrifying. It was one of the lowest moments of the journey I had after coming out to Oprah."
And so when Bure made her infamous "traditional marriage" comments, Pintauro wasn't exactly floored. He found it a real shame, as Bure could've made for a great advocate for the community. "We've been in this business together... She must have tons of people in her life that are LGBTQ+, at least from her past. And how she got to this place is just a little concerning to me," he added. "It's almost like she went backwards in a way... I don't know where any of that stems from, but it's definitely disappointing. I think she could be an incredible ally."