Great American Family CEO Says Candace Cameron Bure Doesn’t Speak ‘On Behalf’ of Network

By Emma Chance | TV | October 26, 2023 |

By Emma Chance | TV | October 26, 2023 |

Candace Cameron Bure became the chief content officer of the Great American Family television network last year and then promptly put her foot in her mouth by saying the network would keep “traditional marriage at the core” of their programming. But CEO Bill Abbott recently told Variety that Bure does not speak for the company.

“It’s like the disclaimer you see at the end of a movie or a series that says, ‘The views reflected here are not necessarily those of the company.’ Candace has such a high profile that when she speaks, she’ll speak on a lot of topics, and she has a wonderful podcast that is fantastic. But when she speaks on that, she’s not speaking on behalf of Great American Media,” Abbott said.

When asked if the network would be incorporating stories of LGBTQ families into their programming going forward, he responded, “I think that’s a very good and fair question. I don’t think when we set out to do any type of movie we cast it first. The first thing we think about is a great storyline or great characters or an emotional journey. We’re not seeking to do anything or not do anything, and we take every day as it comes.”

In other words, no, they will not. Cast it first? This man really thought we meant they should cast LGBTQ actors and then write the story? Obviously, a media company that refers to itself as Great American Media does not have a diversity of representation at its heart. This guy was just doing damage control, and badly.