Still the Christmas season guru? Candace Cameron Bure shocked fans in April 2022 when she announced that she was leaving Hallmark Media for Great American Media.
The Full House alum starred in 10 holiday films for Hallmark Channel during her 13 years with the network, earning her the title of “Queen of Christmas” from viewers and critics alike.
“I make them because I love them. And I know that the viewers that watch them really love them, and they mean something to them,” Cameron Bure exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2021 ahead of The Christmas Contest’s release. “I always try to make it the best that I can, but I let the pressure [of being the Christmas queen] go last year.”
She also helmed Hallmark’s Movies & Mysteries’ Aurora Teagarden Mysteries franchise, appearing as librarian-turned-amateur-sleuth, Aurora Teagarden, in 18 films before her 2022 departure.
“Candace is adored by generations of fans as one of family entertainment’s most cherished and relatable stars,” President and CEO of Great American Media, Bill Abbott, said in an April 2022 statement. “She has helped build this genre into the mainstream success it is today, and I look forward to working together at GAC Media as we further establish our brands as leaders in quality family programming. I am truly honored that she has chosen to be a part of and help curate her special brand of family entertainment here at Great American Channels.”
The Some Kind of Wonderful actress confirmed that her partnership with the new network — which launched in 2021 after Abbott left Hallmark Media following a 2020 controversy over the handling of a same-sex commercial — would be full of “great, quality entertainment with a positive message.”
Cameron Bure’s deal with the network includes a “prominent executive role at the company to oversee and curate programming for the networks as a whole,” according to a press release.
The Make It or Break It alum’s production company, Candy Rock Entertainment, will also produce “original content for GAC’s channels” and “create year-round seasonal celebration content for the networks and play a key role in the company’s annual Great American Christmas franchise.”
Ahead of the release of her first holiday film for Great American Family, titled A Christmas … Present, Cameron Bure sounded off on why the change of network is more suitable to her personal belief system.
“My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them,” the Switched for Christmas star told WSJ. Magazine in November 2022. “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.”
Scroll down to see everything that Cameron Bure has said about her transition to Great American Media — and why Hallmark was no longer a good fit — below:
