- "Cancel culture is real," Candace Cameron Bure said on Julia Jeffress Sadler's podcast.
- Her words came months after she received backlash for her comments on "traditional marriage" in the WSJ.
Candace Cameron Bure shared her thoughts on "cancel culture" on a recent episode of the "Unapologetic" podcast hosted by Julia Jeffress Sadler.
Asked by Sadler to share advice for young people who are scared to mention their Christian beliefs for fear of being "persecuted," the "Fuller House" star said, "It's hard no matter what. Especially when you are a compassionate person and you have a heart for people."
"But it's important that we speak truth, but in love," she continued. Bure added that people tend not to listen to others when they are "angry" while sharing their beliefs. "But, it's important that we don't back down," she added.
Bure said it takes "bravery" for young people in their 20s, like her children, to talk about their faith "in the time we're living today."
"And I know that there's all places in the world, all different countries where people get severely persecuted for their faith," the "Full House" star continued, going on to describe a "cushion" in North America where people's "feelings get so hurt" when anyone criticizes their beliefs. "And that isn't nearly the persecution that a lot of other people go through for being a Christian in other countries," she clarified.
"Nevertheless, cancel culture is real. And it's difficult. And it's hard," Bure concluded, encouraging other potential Christian listeners by telling them, "we are always stronger together."
The actor's comments came months after she received criticism in the media and from other celebrities for telling Wall Street Journal reporter Ellen Gamerman in November 2022 that Great American Family (GAF), the faith-based network at which she is an executive, would keep stories about "traditional marriage at the core."
JoJo Siwa, the YouTuber and dancer who made headlines in 2022 when she labeled Bure the "rudest" celebrity she'd ever met in a video on TikTok, made a statement about Bure's comments on Instagram in November.
"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. "This is rude and hurtful to a whole community of people."
"One Tree Hill" star Hilarie Burton Morgan called GAF's approach "bigotry" in a tweet. Bure's comments also reportedly created a rift between Bure and Jodie Sweetin, who played her sister on-screen for many years.
In a statement shared with Insider at the time of the controversy, Bure said in part: "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."
Bure said that she left Crown Media and the Hallmark Channel in 2021 after making more than 30 movies with the Hallmark brand, to create "wholesome" and "family-friendly" programming at GAF.