Why Candace Cameron Bure Left Hallmark for Great American Media (2024)

Candace Cameron Bure shocked fans in April 2022 when she announced that she was leaving Hallmark Media for Great American Media.The actress starred in 10 holiday films for Hallmark Channel during her 13 years with the network, earning her the title of “Queen of Christmas” from viewers and critics alike.She also helmed Hallmark Mystery’s Aurora Teagarden Mysteries franchise, appearing as librarian-turned-amateur-sleuth, Aurora Teagarden, in 18 films before her 2022 departure.Cameron Bure’s exit came one year after former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott launched the new network following his controversial handling of a same-sex commercial for the channel.Shortly after the release of her first Great American Family holiday film in fall 2022, Cameron Bure made waves for her comments about the network’s faith-based programming. She told WSJ. Magazine that GAF aligned with her beliefs partly because they were focusing on “traditional marriage” story lines, which caused backlash from her fanbase.Scroll down to see everything that Cameron Bure has said about her transition to Great American Media — and why Hallmark was no longer a good fit — below:

“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,” the Kind is the New Classy author said in an April 2022 statement. “I am constantly looking for ways that I can inspire people to live life with purpose. 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.”

“Candy Rock Entertainment’s mission is to bring to life compelling stories that the entire family can enjoy while feeling a sense of togetherness and connection. I’m so proud of the first of these projects because they are exactly that,” the California native said in a September 2022 press release when announcing her first holiday film for Great American Family. “A Christmas … Present is about slowing down enough to recognize what’s right in front of our eyes. The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season will arrive before we know it but it’s through the quiet moments that we hear God speak to us, directing our path to what’s most important.”

“The truth is I’ve been under contract with Hallmark for a very, very long time. And those have been absolutely wonderful,” the A Shoe Addict’s Christmas star told Variety in September 2022. “It just so happened that my contract was expiring when Great American Family started up. So we did not start having those discussions until we were well into negotiations with Hallmark Channel for renewing. And as every business person knows, you’ve got to do what’s right for contracts. It didn’t work out with Hallmark and so we started talking to Bill.”

“I’m that person that just sits and watches and observes from the sidelines. Bill has just always been a champion. He’s been a champion for others through his whole career and that’s what has made him an incredible president and CEO of a company — because he knows he’s not doing it himself,” Cameron Bure told the outlet in September 2022 of the former Hallmark Channel CEO. “It takes a team and it takes loyalty and it takes people doing their best. And he acknowledges that always, which makes him a great leader. … It’s been an almost 15-year relationship.”

She added: “I trust what Bill has done over the years and that really means a lot to me. That’s also why a move to Great American Family was a good move for me because of the long standing relationship with Bill.”

“It absolutely is representing family. It’s representing faith, which is a really big component. They are going to move much more forward in the faith content, and having both — still having lots of movies, rom-coms and Christmas movies that don’t involve faith, but also ones that really do,” the Fuller House alum said in September 2022 of Great American Media’s focus. “I think that that’s going to be a big difference in Great American Family channel, as well as patriotic content. I love hearing stories about our veterans, about our servicemen and women, those reunions when they come home. We want to showcase all of that — all of the good that’s going on and we want to tug on those heartstrings.”

“It basically is a completely different network than when I started because of the change of leadership,” Cameron Bure told WSJ. Magazine in November 2022, when asked about her departure from Hallmark Media.

When it comes to the stories being featured on Great American Media’s channels, she confessed, “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.”

The comment came after Abbott’s 2020 exit from Hallmark Media following his choice to cut a same-sex commercial from the network. Hallmark has since begun to feature more diverse couplings and lead characters — but Great American Media has hinted that won’t be its focus moving forward.

“I want to be able to tell that story in a beautiful way, but also that is not off-putting to the unbeliever or someone who shares a different faith,” the former child star added.

Cameron Bure told the magazine in November 2022 that she was ready to make movies that didn’t include the stereotypical rom-com tropes such as cocoa dates and snowball fights that lead to forever love.

“My own kids have said, ‘Mom, are you leaving the big city and going to the farm, meeting the love of your life?’” she quipped, noting that she will still make rom-coms for Great American Media in the future. “Those are all fun things that we love, but we see over and over and over.”

Cameron Bure responded in November 2022 to claims that she’s a “bigot” after she told WSJ. Magazine that Great American Media would focus on “traditional marriage” story lines.

“It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone,” she wrote in a lengthy social media statement. “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. We need Christmas more than ever.”

The former View cohost also clarified why she chose to move to Great American Media, implying that her original interview comments were taken out of context.

“I have long wanted to find a home for more faith-based programming. I am grateful to be an integral part of a young and growing network. I had also expressed in my interview, which was not included, that people of all ethnicities and identities have and will continue to contribute to the network in great ways both in front of and behind the camera, which I encourage and fully support,” she claimed. “I’ve never been interested in proselytizing through my storytelling, but in celebrating God’s greatness in our lives through the stories I tell.”

Cameron Bure gave insight into her reason for switching from Hallmark to Great American Family during a . “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 replied. “I’m very proud of the work I did at Hallmark for 15 years and love all my friends there.”

The actress explained, “I’m more than an actor. Growth in my company as well as my achievements in business is extremely important to me.” She also confirmed two new projects from Great American Family: The Ainsley McGregor Mysteries and A Christmas Less Traveled.

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