Candace Cameron Bure denies she ever lobbied to get a queer character removed from “Fuller House”

Candace Cameron Bure says she never asked the writers on Fuller House to remove a queer character from the Netflix sitcom.

The devout Christian actor’s claim comes in response to a TikTok video posted by Glamorous star Miss Benny on Thursday. Prior to coming out publicly as transgender, the 24-year-old actress appeared in two episodes of the Full House reboot’s fourth season, playing the franchise’s first-ever openly gay character.

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Candace Cameron Bure slams media for reporting on her comments against LGBTQ representation

The former “Full House” star had previously said her new network will not feature same-sex couples in its Christmas movies.

In the TikTok clip, Miss Benny responded to a fan comment asking about her time on Fuller House. “Who was homophobic,” the commenter asked, “was it Candace?”

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“One of the Tanner sisters is, like, very publicly… not for the girls, if that makes sense,” Miss Benny explained in the video, referring to the characters played by Bure and fellow original Full House co-star Jodie Sweetin.

“I remember I got sat down by the writers and the studio to basically warn me how this person allegedly was trying to get the character removed and not have a queer character on the show,” Miss Benny recalled. “I was also sort of warned and prepared that this person’s fanbase might be encouraged to target me specifically.”

Miss Benny, who would have been around 18 or 19 years old when she appeared on Fuller House, also noted that it was “crazy” that a teenage actor would potentially be targeted by an adult.

“It continuously blows my mind how queer people, specifically queer young adults and queer children, are being targeted and having to advocate for themselves against adults,” she added.

@ihatemissbenny

Replying to @Teddy Bear queue some nervous fidgeting. #fullerhouse #greenscreen #candacebure

♬ original sound – Miss Benny

While Miss Benny did not mention Bure by name in the video, the post’s caption included the hashtag #candacebure.

Late on Thursday, Bure responded to Benny’s insinuation.

“I never asked Miss Benny’s character to be removed from Fuller House and did not ask the writers, producers or studio executives to not have queer characters on the show,” the actor, who also served as a producer on the series, said in a statement to People Magazine. “Fuller House has always welcomed a wide range of characters. I thought Miss Benny did a great job as Casey on the show. We didn’t share any scenes together, so we didn’t get a chance to talk much while filming on set. I wish Miss Benny only the best.”

This isn’t the first time Bure’s views on LGBTQ+ representation and marriage equality have received scrutiny. On a July 2015 episode of The View, she defended an Oregon baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Ahead of Fuller House’s premiere in 2016, she was asked during a Television Critics Association panel how her stance might impact LGBTQ+ inclusion in the series.

“I’m always defending religious freedom and that’s what I was talking about on The View. I didn’t describe my personal feelings about [marriage equality],” she said. “But I’m an actress on a television show and I support all things that we go through as human beings and would love all our characters to explore whatever issues that are current in our culture and our society today and I’m 100% on board with that.”

Last year, she made headlines again for saying in a Wall Street Journal profile about her new role as chief creative officer for the Great American Family Channel that her new network would not feature LGBTQ+ characters or storylines in its content. “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core,” she said.

Bure later blamed “the toxic climate in our culture right now” for painting her as anti-LGBTQ+. “I am a devoted Christian. Which means that I believe that every human being bears the image of God,” Bure wrote in a November 2022 Instagram post. “Because of that, I am called to love all people, and I do. If you know me, you know that I am a person who loves fiercely and indiscriminately. My heart yearns to build bridges and bring people one step closer to God, to love others well, and to simply be a reflection of God’s huge love for all of us.”

She went on to add that “people of all ethnicities and identities have and will continue to contribute to” Great American Family Channel “both in front of and behind the camera, which I encourage and fully support.”