Candace Cameron Bure’s Most Controversial Moments: PDA Pics, JoJo Siwa Feud and More

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Candace Cameron Bure's Most Controversial Moments: PDA Pics, JoJo Siwa Feud and More

Candace Cameron Bure is one of the most beloved '90s stars in Hollywood, but she's found herself in the middle of several controversies over the years. The Full House veteran has been outspoken about being a conservative Republican in the entertainment industry, which often leans left on political issues. In October 2021, the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries actress said that she felt "pressure" to represent conservatives on TV when she was a panelist on The View. "The stress and the anxiety — I actually have a pit in my stomach right now," she said on the "Behind the Table" podcast, recalling her time on the talk show from 2015 to 2016. "There was only one type of stress that I've ever felt in my life, that came from that show. And I [have] PTSD, like, I can feel it. It was so difficult, and to manage that emotional stress was very, very hard." After Donald Trump won the presidency in November 2016, the Switched for Christmas star decided that defending her political positions would become even more difficult. She ultimately left the show one month after the election. [sendtonews type="float" key="0LDedGz88a-2831093-14453"] "I did not want to be the punching bag for the next four years in that conservative seat," she said on the podcast. "I just didn't want to. And it wasn't worth it to me. It wasn't worth my mental health, which was already suffering, so it was a very easy decision." The Faith of Our Fathers star also faced backlash during the coronavirus pandemic, thanks in part to the activities of her brother, Kirk Cameron. After the Left Behind actor drew criticism for hosting Christmas caroling events during the lockdown, Cameron Bure took to social media to defend her sibling. “I did not attend any recent caroling events. Also, I choose to follow the greater guidelines by wearing a mask and social distance when I’m in public,” she tweeted in December 2020. “However, I don’t appreciate the vile tweets about my family. I believe respectful dialogue is the key to being heard. Stay safe 🎄.” One month later, she clapped back after reading negative comments about who she follows on social media. At the time, her Instagram account showed that she followed over 1,100 people, including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Melania Trump and Candace Owens. "A follow does not mean an endorsement," she said in a January 2021 video posted to her Instagram Story. “It just means I follow a broad range of people so that I have perspective. I want to know what’s going on in the world, I want to hear different sides of the argument. I follow people in entertainment that I don’t necessarily agree with or act the same way, but I want to hear what our society, what culture is dishing out.” Keep scrolling for a look back at Cameron Bure's most controversial moments over the years.

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Wedding Cake Discrimination

In July 2015, the former Hallmark actress made headlines when she seemingly defended an Oregon bakery that refused to make a cake for a lesbian wedding. "I don’t think this is discrimination at all. This is about freedom of association," she said during a debate on The View. "It's about constitutional rights. It's about First Amendment rights. We do have the right to still choose who we associate with."

Her then-cohost Raven-Symoné cut her off. "I refuse to associate with you right now," the Masked Singer alum said. Cameron Bure continued to claim that the bakery was in the right, saying: "They didn't refuse to bake the cake because of [the couple's] sexual orientation. In fact, they baked cakes for them previously. They had a problem with the actual ceremony because that — the ceremony — is what conflicted with their religious beliefs. They are saying that they stand for marriage between a man and a woman."

Credit: Courtesy of Candace Cameron Bure/Instagram

'Not Today, Satan'

RuPaul's Drag Race winner Bianca Del Rio called out the Fuller House alum for wearing a shirt with the drag queen's catchphrase — "Not today, Satan" — on it. "IF ONLY, THIS HOMOPHOBIC, REPUBLICAN KNEW," the reality star wrote via Instagram in March 2017 alongside a repost of Cameron Bure's photo.

The California native defended her sartorial choice in the comments of Del Rio's post, writing: “Why do you have to be nasty to me? You don’t know me or my heart. I’m not homophobic and always sad when people think otherwise. Loving Jesus doesn’t mean I hate gay people or anyone. You sent a bunch of hateful people to my page writing horrible things. I hope next time you’ll spread love and kindness, even when you disagree with people. Sending you love and wish you all the best. Truly."

Credit: Courtesy of Candace Cameron Bure/Instagram

The PDA Photo

Cameron Bure faced backlash in September 2020 after she shared a photo that showed her husband, Valeri Bure, grabbing her breast. “For all of the Christians that are questioning my post with my husband’s hand on my boob — my husband of 24 years — thinking it was inappropriate, it makes me laugh because it’s my husband,” she said in an Instagram video at the time. “We have so much fun together. He can touch me anytime he wants, and I hope he does. That is what a healthy, good marriage and relationship is all about.”

The former View cohost went on to apologize for the picture before taking it back. “I’m sorry if it offended you. I’m actually not sorry,” she quipped while laughing. “I’m glad we have fun together after so many years. He can touch me all day long.”

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The Holy Spirit TikTok

The Dancing With the Stars alum apologized after some of her fans were offended by a July 2021 TikTok video in which she discussed "the power of the Holy Spirit" while doing a dance with her Bible. “I just came home and read a lot of messages that were not happy with my latest Instagram post that was a TikTok video. And I usually don’t apologize for these things, but a lot of you thought it was weird, and I’m sorry,” she explained via Instagram. “That was not my intention. I was using a very specific clip from TikTok and applying it to the power of the Holy Spirit, which is incredible.”

Cameron Bure added that she removed the video after some commenters called the post inappropriate. “And so many of you thought that I was trying to be seductive, which clearly means I’m not a very good actress because I was trying to be strong, not sexy or seductive," she said. "So I guess that didn’t work, but I deleted it.”

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'Am I the Drama?'

The Growing Pains alum made headlines for an October 2021 TikTok where she reflected on what it's like to work in entertainment as a person on the conservative end of the political spectrum. The video showed her lip-synching to a clip from RuPaul's Drag Race, saying: “Is it me? Am I the drama? I don’t think I’m the drama. Maybe I am. Am I the villain? I don’t think I’m the villain.” She captioned the post, "When you're a conservative in Hollywood."

One day later, the VH1 series' account reposted the original clip from the show with the caption, “When your audio lands on the wrong side of TikTok & they have no idea."

Credit: Courtesy of Candace Cameron Bure/Instagram

The Red Wedding

Cameron Bure clapped back after social media critics slammed her and daughter Natasha Bure for wearing red dresses to a wedding in October 2021. When one Instagram user called it a "no-no," the actress replied, “Anything goes in L.A. There were 4 women wearing red dresses to the wedding.” In another comment, Cameron Bure said there are “different style rules in Los Angeles."

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Crying for Uvalde

After a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Cameron Bure responded to followers who reprimanded her for not speaking out about the shooting. "I wanted — actually, I didn't want to come on here, but I am because, you know, seeing what happened in our country — all of us process things differently, and some of us need more time to process it," she said in a tearful Instagram video shared in May 2022. "Some of us are ready to scream and yell and shout from the rooftops. Some of us need to just feel more and figure out when we feel ready to share those feelings. I am a deep feeler, and I don't always feel like social media is the place I want to run to first to share my heart, particularly when it's grieving, and so that's why I've been silent."

She went on to say she doesn't think it's "right to jump to conclusions" when someone doesn't post on social media following a major event. "I don't believe silence or lack of posting is a representation of what someone is thinking, feeling or doing," she explained. "The more and more I have this relationship with social media, there are things I love about it, but there's a lot that I really am pulling away from and that is sharing certain things — particularly when it comes to tragedy, grief, politics, and a lot of social issues that our country disagrees on."

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The JoJo Siwa Feud

Cameron Bure found herself in the middle of an unexpected feud in July 2022 when JoJo Siwa claimed the GAC Family actress is the "rudest" celebrity she's ever met in a TikTok video. The Boy Meets World alum later revealed that she and the former Dance Moms star got in touch after the TikTok made headlines, explaining that Siwa was referring to a time when Cameron Bure refused to take a photo with her.

“I will say because I had a bad experience, that doesn’t mean that she is an awful human,” the Siwas Dance Pop Revolution star told Page Six after the kerfuffle. “I think it just was an inconvenient time for her, and little 11-year-old me was just so pumped up and so excited, but that doesn’t mean she’s the worst human ever.”

Cameron Bure, for her part, later shared an Instagram Story with a Bible verse reading, "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."

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Prioritizing 'Traditional Marriage'

Cameron Bure drew criticism in November 2022 when she said that Great American Family movies would "keep traditional marriage at the core." In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, she added: "My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them. 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.”

After her comments made headlines, Hilarie Burton Morgan called Cameron Bure a "bigot" via social media. "I don’t remember Jesus liking hypocrites like Candy," the One Tree Hill alum wrote. "But sure. Make your money, honey. You ride that prejudice wave all the way to the bank."

Cameron Bure responded to the backlash two days later, though she didn't mention Burton Morgan by name or specifically react to claims about her stance on same-sex marriage. "All of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people," she wrote in a lengthy statement shared via Instagram. "It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone."