In a new interview, CEO Bill Abbot also reveals Great American Family's stance in LGBTQ and whether it is planning or willing to incorporate gay stories in its contents.
- Oct 26, 2023
AceShowbiz - Great American Family CEO Bill Abbott apparently is distancing the network from Candace Cameron Bure's personal opinion. In a new interview, Bill addressed the backlash against the actress over her controversial comments on LGBTQ stories on the network.
When asked about Candace's remarks in which she said that GAF would keep "traditional marriage at the core," Bill said in an interview with Variety, "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.' "
Of the "Full House" star, who was appointed as the network's chief content officer last year, he added, "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."
During the interview, Bill also revealed GAF's stance in LGBTQ and whether it is planning or willing to incorporate gay stories in its contents. "I think that's a very good and fair question," he said. "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."
"This business is so challenged across the entire industry right now - with the streaming model and with the linear decline and all the other pieces - that 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," Bill added.
Despite that, the boss admitted that LGBTQ programming will "certainly be something to think about." He further noted, "I think right now, we're just so focused on profitability, being successful, doing the right thing for our shareholders… We have so many things on our agenda that we need to stay focused on the core part of the business right now and then down the road, as our world grows and changes and becomes different, then we'll see."
Candace landed in hot water after she compared Hallmark's holiday states to GAF's. After saying that Hallmark is now "a completely different network than when I started" due to leadership changes, the actress noted, "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." She stressed, "I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core."
The "Fuller House" star's comments were met with backlash almost immediately. Among the critics was Hilarie Burton, who appeared in some Hallmark shows, as she dubbed the remarks "disgusting." Jojo Siwa also criticized Candace for the matter.
