Getty Danica McKellar attends the 41st Annual Gracie Awards in 2016
Longtime Hallmark actress Danica McKellar, who left the network in 2021 for an exclusive contract with new competitor Great American Family, has broken her silence on the controversy surrounding her colleague Candace Cameron Bure’s recent comments regarding the network prioritizing “traditional marriage” in its movie scripts. In a social media post, McKellar said she wanted to make sure fans know where she stands on the issue, writing a lengthy statement and honoring one of her dear friends from the Hallmark Channel.
How the Controversy With Candace Cameron Bure Unfolded
GettyCandace Cameron Bure and Danica McKellar in 2019
Bure received a great deal of backlash after the Wall Street Journal featured her interview in a November 14, 2022, article titled “Candace Cameron Bure Wants to Put Christianity Back in Christmas Movies.”
In early 2022, the former “Full House” actress left the Hallmark Channel for the new Great American Family network, where she serves as a chief creative officer and the face of the channel. In addition to Bure and McKellar, the network, which is run by Hallmark Channel’s former top executive Bill Abbott, has also picked up other Hallmark stars Jen Lilley, Trevor Donovan and Lori Laughlin, who was a Hallmark personality until she plead guilty in 2020 for her involvement in a massive college admissions scandal.
Of her decision to move over to the new network, Bure told the Wall Street Journal, “I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment.”
In light of Hallmark debuting its first LGTBQ love story in the upcoming movie “The Holiday Sitter,” which premieres December 11, Bure was asked whether she expects her new network’s movies to also star same-sex couples. The Wall Street Journal reported that she said no, adding, “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.”
That comment sparked such outrage that the actress released a lengthy statement two days later, saying the outlet didn’t include her full comments.
“All of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people,” she wrote. “It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone.”
Danica McKellar References Hallmark Channel’s Jonathan Bennett in Statement About Inclusivity
GettyDanica McKellar attends the iHeartRadio Music Awards in March 2022
McKellar, the first big star to sign on with Great American Family in 2021, had been noticeably silent about the controversy until November 23, when she shared a social media post wishing fans a Happy Thanksgiving, followed by a full statement.
“I’d like to set the record straight about something,” she wrote.
McKellar continued, “I’m a new Christian, and I’m so grateful for that. As I always have, I celebrate all forms of healthy love between adults, and I support representation. I was thrilled to have a role in a couple episodes of ‘Home Economics’ earlier this year, and my husband and I were privileged to attend my good friend’s beautiful wedding to his husband earlier this year in Mexico. At the time, we commented that it was one of the purest expressions of love we had ever seen.”
McKellar finished her statement by writing, “The idea that Christianity would judge any form of love simply baffles me. I’m still new to my faith journey, but as far as I can tell, Jesus loves and includes everyone. That’s kind of His thing…”
The wedding McKellar referenced attending was the May nuptials of her dear friend, Hallmark actor Jonathan Bennett, to TV host Jaymes Vaughan in Mexico. For her September birthday, Bennett posted an emotional tribute to McKellar, describing all the important events she’d been part of in his life and writing, “If there’s one thing for certain it’s the fact that having @danicamckellar in your life makes it better.”
When E! News recently asked Bennett, who stars in “The Holiday Sitter,” about the backlash over Bure’s comments, he said, “I’m just proud to be part of Hallmark channel that is doing so much inclusive programming like ‘The Holiday Sitter,’ which is an LGBTQ+ led Christmas movie…Christmas is for everyone and Hallmark channels are for everyone.”
In her statement, McKellar referred to herself as a “new Christian” because, according to an Instagram Live session she did in May, she started exploring Christianity when Bure gifted her a Bible, following years of feeling skeptical of organized religion.
McKellar signed an exclusive three-year contract with Great American Family in 2021, agreeing to star in and executive produce four original films for the network through 2023, according to Deadline. Her first holiday movie with the network, “Christmas at the Drive-In,” premiered on November 25.