Candace Cameron Bure Denies Asking ‘Fuller House’ Writers to Remove Queer Character: We ‘Always Welcomed a Wide Range of Characters’
Candace Cameron Bure is pushing back against an accusation that she asked for a queer character to be removed from “Fuller House,” the “Full House” sequel series that aired for five seasons and 75 episodes on Netflix between 2016 and 2020. Miss Benny, the current star of Netflix’s “Glamorous,” appeared in two episodes of “Fuller House” Season 4 as Casey, the franchise’s first openly queer character. Miss Benny recently posted a TikTok that heavily implied Bure was homophobic behind the scenes of “Fuller House.”
One of Miss Benny’s followers asked the star on TikTok, “Fuller house? Who was homophobic was it Candace?” Miss Benny responded in a TikTok that included #candacecure in the video description but did not verbally call her out by name. The actor said “one of the Tanner sisters” was “very publicly not for the girls,” which for many viewers meant either Bure (who played D.J. Tanner-Fuller) or Jodie Sweetin (who played Stephanie Tanner) were homophobic.
“I remember I got sat down by the writers and the studio to basically warn me how this person allegedly was trying to get the character removed and not have a queer character on the show,” Miss Benny said, adding that she was also “warned and prepared” that the “Fuller House” star’s fan base might also target her.”
Although Miss Benny never mentioned Bure by name, the accompanying hashtag led viewers to believe it was Bure who she was talking about. Bure gave a statement to People denying the accusation.
“I never asked Miss Benny’s character to be removed from ‘Fuller House’ and did not ask the writers, producers or studio executives to not have queer characters on the show,” Bure said. “’Fuller House’ has always welcomed a wide range of characters. I thought Miss Benny did a great job as Casey on the show. We didn’t share any scenes together, so we didn’t get a chance to talk much while filming on set. I wish Miss Benny only the best.”
Bure found herself at the center of controversy last year after telling The Wall Street Journal Magazine that the Great American Family network would “keep traditional marriage at the core” of its Christmas movies, which many implied as Bure saying the channel would not feature LGBTQ couples. Bure left her former home at the Hallmark Channel for GAF, where she serves as chief creative officer.
“All of you who know me know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people,” Bure said in a statement reacting to the backlash accusing her of homophobia. “It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone. 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,” she added. “I am a devoted Christian. Which means that I believe that every human being bears the image of God. Because of that, I am called to love all people, and I do. If you know me, you know that I am a person who loves fiercely and indiscriminately. My heart yearns to build bridges and bring people one step closer to God, to love others well, and to simply be a reflection of God’s huge love for all of us.”
