Candace Cameron Bure has finally spoken out following the controversial comments she made about marriage during a recent interview.
Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, the Fuller House actress explained how she decided to call it quits with Hallmark Media due to its change in content direction. Instead, she pursued a partnership with Great American Family (GAF), which is known for its conservative values.
When asked if GAF would be looking to feature any same-sex couples in the future like Hallmark, she responded by saying no and added that as GAF's Chief Creative Officer, she intends to "keep traditional marriage at the core" of her work.
Her controversial comments stirred up quite a reaction online, including responses from Hilarie Burton and JoJo Siwa, who both slammed the actress for her "rude" and "bigoted" comments. And just yesterday (November 16), the star of Hallmark's upcoming feel-good Christmas film, The Holiday Sitter, also weighed in on the matter.
Speaking to E! News, Jonathan Bennett said he was extremely proud to be part of such an "inclusive" network, adding that "Christmas is for everyone and Hallmark channels are for everyone."
After all the intense backlash, Cameron Bure has now broken her silence with a lengthy Instagram post. She told her 5.6 million followers that these words were "from the heart."
Check out the post below:"I would like to address my comments on Great American Family's programming as reported in The Wall Street Journal," the 46-year-old started. "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. 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."
She then went on to discuss how her Christian values have influenced her decisions, before directing her attention to the media which she described as "[fanning] the flames."
The actress continued: "To the members of the media responsible for using this opportunity to fan flames of conflict and hate, I have a simple message: I love you anyway. To those who hate what I value and who are attacking me online: I love you. To those who have tried to assassinate my character: I love you. 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."
She then ended the post talking about God's "creativity", "love" and "passion", emphasizing that she aims to convey this in all aspects of her life including her upcoming work with GAF.
The Full House alum said: "[God] will be reflected in everything I do and say; in my family, my work and my interactions with people from all walks of life, God's love and God's compassion is front and center.
"All of that comes from the LOVE that God himself showered upon humanity when he gave the gift of joy and forgiveness on the first Christmas morning 2000 years ago. It is why I love Christmas stories and sharing true joy and true peace with millions of people around the world.
"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."