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Candace Cameron Bure might be one of Great American Family’s (GAF) biggest stars and its chief content officer, but her boss, Bill Abbott, the network’s president and CEO, is pushing back on her controversial LGBTQ+ stance based on her religious beliefs. He’s making it pretty clear that her views are her own and she’s not speaking for anyone but herself.
Abbott praised Bure in Variety for “the popularity she has and the impact of social media” that she brings to the table. However, he doesn’t exactly love that she told The Wall Street Journal last year that GAF would only feature couples in a “traditional marriage” which set the internet ablaze. Abbott had a diplomatic response (almost a year later) for his superstar talent that is the most serious pushback viewers have seen from the more conservative network.
“I wouldn’t say whether it’s a matter of agreeing or not. Candace is chief content officer and has a point of view,” he told the media outlet. ” I think that when it comes down to all of our own personal feelings on this topic and how we see the world, we try and separate that as much as possible from the business point of view.” Abbott was pushed to clarify whether he is OK with her less-than-inclusive LGBTQ+ views, and that’s when the cracks started to show. “But when she speaks on that [her LGBTQ+ beliefs], she’s not speaking on behalf of Great American Media,” he stated.
Abbott is saying that only he speaks for GAF as the CEO and Bure only speaks for her brand. Got it? Well, there’s more. Will GAF audiences finally see a same-sex couple in the lead roles? If you were hoping for a concrete answer, Abbott isn’t ready to give one, even if he has no problem separating himself from Bure’s hotly debated words.
“We’re not seeking to do anything or not do anything, and we take every day as it comes,” Abbott waffled. “This business is so challenged across the entire industry right now… we’re just looking to celebrate great stories. We don’t have an agenda either way. It’s not in the faith-and-family playbook to have agendas that are either pro or anti. We want to entertain and inspire and be uplifting and consistently provide an experience that is high quality — that is our most important objective.” Abbott clearly isn’t ready to commit to inclusivity just yet, even though he just shot down Bure as a company spokesperson.
Before you go, click here to see our favorite LGBTQ couples on TV.
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