In mid-November, Candace Cameron Bure, former child actress from Full House and current star of Fuller House, had an interview with the Wall Street Journal about her departure from being an actress on Hallmark Channel Christmas rom-coms. Instead, she is now acting in A Christmas…Present on the Great American Family channel. When questioned about the decision, Bure stated “My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them […] 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.”

Meanwhile, Hallmark is preparing to debut its first holiday movie focused around an LGBTQ+ love story, The Holiday Sitter. When asked if this new channel will feature same-sex couple leads in holiday films, Bure responded “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.”

This singular comment has precipitated a wave of outrage from many stars. Dancer and singer JoJo Siwa expressed her disgust at the comment, stating “This is rude and hurtful to a whole community of people.” Jodie Sweetin, who was a costar on Full House with Bure, expressed her support in the comments of Siwa’s post, saying “You know I love you”.

In a statement released on Entertainment Tonight, Bure responded to the massive backlash, writing “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.” She then goes on to state that due to her being a devoted Christian, she loves “all people.” Many took issue with her response, due to her not making any form of specific apology to the LGBTQ+ community.

This controversy has resulted in Bure unfollowing Sweetin on Instagram, with reports stating that the two are still feuding. Siwa has stated that she and Bure hadn’t spoken, and that they probably won’t ever again. Only time will tell how this issue will impact the success of Hallmark and Great American Family’s holiday movies this year.