ABC
“Dancing With the Stars” runner-up JoJo Siwa is putting a fellow contestant on blast for some recent comments about LGBTQ couples in holiday films.
Season 18 third-place finisher Candace Cameron Bure said in a new interview with the Wall Street Journal that her move from Hallmark to Great American Family is due to the fact that GAC is putting an emphasis on Christianity in its holiday movies.
But when asked if GAC would follow in Hallmark’s footsteps by featuring LGBTQIA+ characters, Bure said no.
“We’re really here to spread joy and to spread love and happy, good feelings,” she said of GAC’s mission for their films, adding, “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core” of its holiday movies.
Great American Media chief executive Bill Abbott, who used to be an executive at Hallmark’s parent company Crown Media, hedged his bets a little more, saying that they are “aware of the trends” today and that “there’s no whiteboard that says, ‘Yes, this’ or ‘No, we’ll never go here.’”
But several celebrities, including “Dancing With the Stars” season 30 runner-up and pop star JoJo Siwa, are not happy with Bure’s comments.
JoJo Siwa Called Candace Cameron Bure ‘Rude & Hurtful’
On Instagram, Siwa posted a screenshot of a story about Bure’s interview and wrote in the caption that she “can’t believe” Bure would do this.
Siwa wrote:
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. This is rude and hurtful to a whole community of people.
The part about what “went down just a few months ago” is in reference to Siwa’s now-deleted TikTok from back in July where she named Bure as the “rudest” celebrity she has ever met. She later told Page Six in an interview that she was an excited 11-year-old who just wanted a picture with Bure when they met at the premiere for “Fuller House.”
Bure responded in an Instagram video by saying she was “shocked” to hear that from Siwa and called her to clear things up.
So with that in mind, Siwa seems to be disappointed in Bure and her comments after their phone conversation.
In the comments on Siwa’s Instagram post, Bure’s “Fuller House” co-star and fellow “Dancing With the Stars” contestant Jodie Sweetin responded to Siwa, “You know I love you.”
Fellow “Dance Moms” alum and “Dancing With the Stars” guest performer Maddie Ziegler added, “Go off, JoJo!!!!!”
“Dancing With the Stars” pro Ezra Sosa wrote, “That’s a no from me.”
Actress Hilarie Burton & Filmmaker Also Criticized Bure For Her Comments
On Twitter, fellow Hallmark movie star Hilarie Burton called Bure a “bigot” and a “hypocrite,” and called her out for making money off of people’s prejudice.
“Bigot. I don’t remember Jesus liking hypocrites like Candy. But sure. Make your money, honey. You ride that prejudice wave all the way to the bank,” wrote Burton. She added in another tweet, “Now [GAC is] just openly admitting their bigotry. I called this s*** out years ago when Abbott was at Hallmark. Glad they dumped him. Being LGBTQ isn’t a ‘trend.’ That guy and his network are disgusting. You too Candy. There is nothing untraditional about same-sex couples.”
Burton’s husband, “Walking Dead” star Jeffrey Dean Morgan, responded in the replies, “How’d I miss this twit?! Who the f*** is this person? Hey Hil? You’re awesome. We lucky to have ya. X … ‘Make your money honey.’ Lol… cooked kids dinner and was laughing whole time. Wife has words AND timing.”
In a different tweet, filmmaker and “Mad Men” actor Kit Williamson added, “FINALLY A NETWORK FOR STORIES WITH STRAIGHT LEADS!!! Candace Cameron Bure, you’re that girl we knew you were. Enjoy your straight, white echo chamber, because something tells me people outside of your cult (or under the age of 80) won’t be ‘prioritizing’ watching your movies.”
Comedian Darcy Michael wrote in a tweet, “‘I’m irrelevant so here’s some casual homophobia to get a headline’ – Candace Cameron Bure.”
Updated to add: Bure has issued a statement in response to the backlash over her interview.
Hallmark’s first holiday movie featuring a gay couple at the heart of the story, “The Holiday Sitter,” starring fellow “Dancing With the Stars” alum Jonathan Bennett, premieres on Sunday, December 11 at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times.
“Dancing With the Stars” airs its season 31 finale on Monday, November 21 at 8 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Pacific times on Disney Plus.