Great American Family Distances Itself from Candace Cameron Bure's Homophobia
It's the most wonderful and profitable time of year for the Great American Family network, and its CEO Bill Abbot is making it clear that Candace Cameron Bure's homophobic views don't reflect the views of the network.
Of course he didn't say that specifically in his interview with Variety, but he hinted at it in quotes.
The former Hallmark CEO said that the network is leaning on Bure as chief content officer connections and taste to make their shows a hit.
"Having her profile, the popularity she has and the impact of social media — all those things are huge," Abbott told Variety of Bure. "We are absolutely blown away by Candace's taste, judgment and ability. Her overall knowledge is way beyond what our expectations were, and we always knew that she would contribute to what we were doing in many ways, but never at the level that she does."
To that point, Variety reports that GAF is up 150% in total viewers in 2023 compared to 2022.
However, Abbott said Bure's view that GAF content will focus on "traditional marriage" and not same-sex families does not speak for the network. ... sort of.
"I wouldn't say whether it's a matter of agreeing or not. Candace is chief content officer and has a point of view, and she is leading the way in the areas I mentioned before in such a skilled way that we definitely rely on her judgment and what she thinks is going to resonate best," said Abbott. "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."
And yet Bure remains the chief content officer, which means her personal point of view holds some serious weight.
Read Abbott's complete interview.