Hilarie Burton calls Candace Cameron Bure a 'bigot' after touting faith-based Christmas films

Well, it's safe to say Hilarie Burton won't be tuning in to watch Candace Cameron Bure's new Christmas movie on the Great American Family (GAF) channel later this month. Bure spoke to the Wall Street Journal about leaving the Hallmark Channel after a decade for a new network that aligned more with her faith.

"My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them," Bure, 46, said. "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."

Burton saw a headline about the Full House alum's interview and called Bure a "bigot."

"I don't remember Jesus liking hypocrites like Candy," the One Tree Hill star tweeted. "But sure. Make your money, honey. You ride that prejudice wave all the way to the bank."

JoJo Siwa also weighed in on Bure's comments. The two publicly exchanged words over the summer after the Dancing With the Stars alum, 19, called Bure the "rudest" celebrity she ever met.

"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, who came out as gay earlier this year, wrote. "This is rude and hurtful to a whole community of people."

It seems Bure's quote that sparked backlash had to do with a comment she made about GAF creating content featuring "traditional" relationships. Hallmark, under new leadership, has been moving towards more progressive storylines. The network's first original holiday film featuring an LGBTQ love story, The Holiday Sitter, will debut this season. Bure, who was Hallmark's unofficial queen of Christmas, departed as GAF launched a rebrand last year.

Bure declined to specifically speak to WSJ about leaving the Hallmark Channel, only saying: "It basically is a completely different network than when I started because of the change of leadership."

However, Bure said same-sex couples will not be highlighted at her new home, noting, "I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core."

A spokeswoman for Hallmark offered the following statement and said the company is committed to telling diverse stories: "We want all viewers to see themselves in our programming and everyone is welcome."

Anyone who follows Bure on social media shouldn't be surprised by her comments. The former View co-host proudly promotes her Christian faith on social media — figuratively and literally. The actress even sells a Candace Cameron Bure-brand Bible.

When Bure left Hallmark, she said in a statement that Great American Media (GAM), which owns GAF, "fits my brand perfectly."

"I'm very excited to develop heartwarming family and faith-filled programming and make the kind of stories my family and I love to watch. I am constantly looking for ways that I can inspire people to live life with purpose," she said.

"We share a vision of creating compelling wholesome content for an audience who wants to watch programming for and with the whole family. Great, quality entertainment with a positive message is what my partnership with [GAM] is all about," Bure added.

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