Now dubbed the “Conservative Queen of Christmas,” Candace Cameron Bure made headlines when she departed Hallmark for the Great American Family network in 2022. So, why did Candace Cameron Bure leave Hallmark in the first place? Here’s what the actress has said.
Candace Cameron Bure made her Hallmark debut with 2009’s Moonlight & Mistletoe, eventually starring in A Christmas Detour, A Shoe Addict’s Christmas, Christmas Town and more. In 2015, she started portraying librarian Aurora Teagarden in the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries series. She has done 18 Aurora Teagarden films in total, starting with A Bone to Pick in 2015 until her final film, Haunted by Murder, in 2022. In addition to starring in films, the actress has also executive-produced a number of Hallmark projects.
In an interview with E! News in November 21, the Aurora Teagarden star spoke about the pressures of creating Christmas movies for Hallmark. “This being my 10th Christmas movie for the Hallmark Channel, you do try to make them as different as you can, while still staying in the framework of a Hallmark movie,” she explained. “So, there’s always pressure to not have a repeat story; the repeat beats, the same tropes that you can fall into with a Hallmark film. There’s pressure, but I’m very aware of what those elements are and try my best to make it fresh and new every year.”
The actress rose to fame portraying D.J. Tanner on Full House and the sequel Fuller House. From 2009 to 2003, she starred as Summer van Horne on Make It or Break It and was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars Season 18. From 2015 and 2016, she was the co-host of the daytime TV talk show The View. Bure is now the Chief Content Office of Great America Media (which we’ll get to below).
So, after more than a decade of acting in Hallmark films, why did Candace Cameron Bure leave for its rival network? Keep reading to find out.
Why did Candace Cameron Bure leave Hallmark?
Why did Candace Cameron Bure leave Hallmark? Bure revealed the real reason she left Hallmark in an Instagram Story in May 2024, in which she hinted that she felt she had more opportunity with Great American Media. “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,” she said. “I’m very proud of the work I did at Hallmark for 15 years and love all my friends there 🥰”
Bure left Hallmark to join Great American Media, where she serves as Chief Content Officer, as well as an actor. It was announced in April 2022 that Bure signed a deal with Great American Media — which owns cable networks Great American Family and Great American Living. Bure will develop, produce and star in movies and television shows across its networks. Along with developing original content through her production company, Candy Rock Entertainment, Bure was also hired in an executive role at GAC to help curate programming for the network, including creating year-round seasonal celebration content and having a part in GAC’s annual Great American Christmas programming.
As a result of the deal, Bure’s relationship with the Hallmark Channel ended. She filmed 29 movies for Hallmark over the course of 10 years, including 18 Aurora Teagarden Mysteries movies. “Crown Media has enjoyed over 10 years of collaboration with Candace,” a representative for Hallmark Channel’s parent company, Crown Media, told TV Line in a statement. “We respect her decision and thank her for her many contributions.”
In her own statement to Variety, Bure explained why she left Hallmark for GAF. “I’m very excited to develop heartwarming family and faith-filled programming and make the kind of stories my family and I love to watch. I am constantly looking for ways that I can inspire people to live life with purpose,” she said. She continued, “GAC fits my brand perfectly; we share a vision of creating compelling wholesome content for an audience who wants to watch programming for and with the whole family. Great, quality entertainment with a positive message is what my partnership with GAC is all about.”
Bill, the president and CEO of GAC Media (and the former president of Crown Media), also told Variety in a statement: “Candace is adored by generations of fans as one of family entertainment’s most cherished and relatable stars. She has helped build this genre into the mainstream success it is today, and I look forward to working together at GAC Media as we further establish our brands as leaders in quality family programming. I am truly honored that she has chosen to be a part of and help curate her special brand of family entertainment here at Great American Channels.”
Cameron Bure came under fire after she made controversial comments in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in November 2022. When asked about same-sex couples being portrayed on screen, Cameron Bure replied, “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.”
Celebrities and LGBTQ activists were swift to call out the former Hallmark actress for her remarks. For example, social media star and performer JoJo Siwa fired back on Instagram: “Honestly, I can’t believe after everything that went down just a few months ago, that she would not only create a movie with intention of excluding LGBTQIA+, but then also talk about it in the press,” Siwa wrote in the caption directed at Cameron Bure. “This is rude and hurtful to a whole community of people.”
Cameron Bure defended her words and accused the media of using her marriage comments to “fan flames of conflict and hate.” “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,” she told Page Six in a lengthy statement at the time.
Cameron Bure is one of several actors who left Hallmark to sign a deal with GAF, including Trevor Donovan, Jen Lilley and Danica McKellar. Her first Christmas movie with GAF was A Christmas … Present, which she starred in alongside Marc Blucas and Paul Fitzgerald.
Check out our gallery below on the Aurora Teagarden: Something New Cast – including the new vs. original actors playing the same characters.
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