Not everyone followed Candace Cameron Bure’s footsteps and made the move from the Hallmark Channel to Great American Family network. In fact, there were several of Hallmarks brightest stars that were happy to see the “Full House” actor leave the network for GAC.
Before she left for GAC, Bure was the Hallmark queen. There wasn’t a Christmas holiday that went by where she didn’t star in one of the networks films. However, in April 2022, the actor made the shocking announcement that she would be moving to the GAC network. The statement she released didn’t seem to underly any issues between the Hallmark network and herself, but Bure later revealed that the true reason she left was because their values didn’t align with her own.
Hallmark has been a big proponent in having diverse characters in their films and shows. Just a year prior, Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott was let go after pulling an advertisement that showed a same-sex couple. Part of Bure’s departure seemed to be in solidarity with Abbott and her beliefs. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2022, Bure told the outlet, “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.” Bure received a significant amount of backlash for this dig toward Hallmark and the LGBTQ community. Even those who were network buddies with Bure were upset by the comments and were glad to see the actor go, including Tyler Hynes, Paul Campbell, and Andrew Walker.
The Hallmark stars who were glad to see Candace Cameron Bure leave
It was a trio of Hallmark hunks against Candace Cameron Bure. Tyler Hynes, Paul Campbell, and Andrew Walker didn’t hold back when it came to their reaction to Bure’s decision to leave the network. Walker thought that the “Full House” star’s excuse that she left because of the change in leadership, a.k.a. Bill Abbott being let go for pulling the same-sex ad, was just a cop out. He explained to Vulture, “I think it was just a good excuse to cover up an opportunity she had somewhere else.”
As for Hynes, rumors circulated in 2014 that he was leaving Hallmark for GAC, but that doesn’t seem likely as he took a shady jab at Bure’s traditional marriage comment. Hynes shared with Vulture, “That was the intention from the beginning. We want to see the same things you’re talking about — diversity of storytelling. Because things have to evolve.”
Campbell, who was also part of the interview, took more of a backseat when it came to talking about Bure specifically. However, when it came to discussing the competition between Hallmark and the Great American Family network, the actor did take a shot at GAC. He said, “But I don’t think there’s competition. Hallmark is the only place that does specifically what Hallmark does.” Still, despite all the backlash she has gotten from Hallmark peers, Bure has doubled down on her decision to leave the network.
Candace Cameron Bure stands by her decision to leave the Hallmark network
Candace Cameron Bure left the Hallmark channel in April 2022, yet her exit has continued to make headlines. Regardless of all the backlash and conversation surrounding her exit, Bure still stands by her decision to leave. In an Instagram Q&A (via US Weekly), Bure doubled down that she saw the move to the Great American Family network as an opportunity of growth. She explained, “It wasn’t so much about leaving as it was about an opportunity to grow a new network that puts faith and family at the forefront of its content.”
And even though her relationships with some of her Hallmark peers have soured, she still has respect for them. She told the Q&A (via US Weekly), “I’m very proud of the work I did at Hallmark for 15 years and love all my friends there.” After talking about Hallmark, Bure quickly moved onto the projects she is working on for GAC.
As excited as the “Full House” actor has been to work for GAC, the networks CEO, Bill Abbott, is also thrilled to have her. He told Variety, “We are absolutely blown away by Candace’s taste, judgment and ability … we always knew that she would contribute to what we were doing in many ways, but never at the level that she does.” So, while some members of the Hallmark network are not big fans of Bure, the GAC is happy to have her.
