“I’m able to be more who I am here than possibly anywhere else I’ve worked.”
“Party of Five” alum Lacey Chabert is just as important in the Hallmark Channel’s seemingly endless parade of holiday movies and feel-good movies as Candace Cameron Bure used to be, but she plans to stick around.
On the heels of the “Full House” star’s very scathing critique of the “change of leadership” at Hallmark, where she called it “a completely different network than when I started,” Chabert is defending his home network.
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“Any change I felt involved our creative ideas,” Chabert tells Vulture in a new interview. “And it’s my responsibility to the audience that continues to tune in to my films that I give the best I have to offer. That’s always been my mission.”
She further noted, “I will never let go of what Hallmark means to me, which is all heart-centered. I don’t think there are any plans for that to change any time soon.”
Bure had a different feeling about the network, recently jumping ship to a lead role on Great American Family, where she quickly sparked controversy and headlines for insisting the network would “keep traditional marriage at the center.”
His comments and the timing of his exit from Hallmark came as the network announced its first Christmas movie starring a same-sex couple in the lead roles.
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As for Chabert, she told Vulture, “I’m able to be more who I am here than anywhere else I’ve worked.”
As for whether or not she had been approached about making a change, Chabert was coy, only saying, “I’m with Hallmark and I work for them. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to leave it at that.”
Nor did she take the opportunity to be critical of the GAC or the Bure. When asked about her former network colleague and others who have jumped ship, she said, “You know what, I wish everyone the best. I really can’t comment further on this other than that I care about everyone involved.”
Bure initially told The Wall Street Journal that he decided to move from Hallmark to GAC because the latter is full of “Christians who love the Lord and want to promote religious programming and good family entertainment.”
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She was critical of Hallmark, calling it “a completely different network than when I started because of the change in leadership”, before saying that same-sex couples would likely not be featured on Great American Family’s programming. “I think the Great American Family will keep traditional marriage central.” It was this last line that attracted the most attention.
Bill Abbott, chief executive of Great American Media – who used to head Hallmark – added: “It’s certainly the year 2022, so we’re aware of the trends. There’s no whiteboard that says ‘Yes, that’ or ‘No, never. we’ll go here.'”
Bure was immediately hit with a barrage of criticism of her comments. “One Tree Hill” star Hilarie Burton — who starred in a ton of Hallmark holiday movies before taking her talents to Lifetime — was quick to catch the eye of both.
“Intolerant. I don’t remember Jesus liking hypocrites like Candy,” wrote Burton. “But sure. Earn your money, honey. Ride that prejudice wave all the way to the bank.”
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“Now they’re just openly admitting their fanaticism. I warned that years ago when Abbott was at Hallmark,” she continued. “Glad they broke up with him. Being LGBTQ is not a ‘trend’. This guy and his network are disgusting [sic]🇧🇷 You too Candy. There’s nothing untraditional about same-sex couples.”
JoJo Siwa, who recently quashed a very public spat with Bure over a years-old photo controversy, also weighed in, calling her comments “crude and hurtful.” Siwa is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Honestly, I can’t believe after everything that happened a few months ago that she would not only create a film with the intention of excluding LGBTQIA+, but also talk about it in the press,” said Siwa, 19, in the caption of a photo of a report on Bure’s comments.
Meanwhile, Bure’s “Full House” and “Fuller House” co-star Jodie Sweetin voiced her support for Siwa after she criticized Bure. Sweetin, 40, commented on Siwa’s Instagram post, writing, “You know I love you ❤️❤️.” Bure supposedly unfollowed Sweetin after that.
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Neal Bledsoe, who worked with the GAC, made the decision to leave the network following Bure’s comments and what he perceived as a change of direction.
“As an artist, I want to be proud of the work I create,” Bledsoe told Variety. “But the idea that my work could be used to deliberately discriminate against someone horrifies and infuriates me.”
“I hope the GAF changes, but until everyone can be represented in their films with pride, my choice is clear,” his statement continued. “I look forward to working with creators who put no limits on the stories we tell and follow their values messages with open arms.”
In response to the backlash, Bure defended himself via Instagram, writing, “I have so much love and affection for all people. It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would think that I would intentionally want to offend and hurt anyone.”
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“It saddens me that the media so often tries to divide us, even around a subject as heartwarming and lighthearted as Christmas movies,” she continued. “But given the toxic climate in our culture right now, it shouldn’t surprise me. We need Christmas more than ever.”
Bure’s daughter, Natasha Bure, wrote a lengthy message to her own Instagram, where she praised her mother “for continually choosing Christ first.”
The 24-year-old called the media “an absolutely VILE space for negativity”, applauding her mother “for how you behave with the utmost [sic] grace.”
She went on to say that the media “continuously twist[s] the narrative to defeat the Kingdom”, going so far as to refer to the Fourth Estate as “the enemy”, twisting the words and taking them out of context. “The enemy shall not prevail”, she wrote.
