Candace Cameron Bure is known as one of Hollywood’s most outspoken Christians — a part of her identity she continues to embrace, despite occasionally facing public scrutiny about her faith.
Bure, who is currently promoting her forthcoming appearance in season five of the Fox reality show Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, grew up in the spotlight on the hit Eighties and Nineties sitcom Full House.
She reprised her role as D.J. Tanner-Fuller, now a widowed mother who has a full-time job as a veterinarian, on the Netflix sequel Fuller House, which aired from 2016 to 2020.
Bure later came under fire in 2022 when she was named chief creative officer of the conservative TV network Great American Family and made comments about keeping “traditional marriage at the core.”
Bure acknowledged that speaking openly about her faith can still come with consequences in Hollywood, although she suggested those consequences are less significant than they once were.
open image in gallery“I think everyone at this point pretty much shares what they believe to be true, no matter what side of the aisle you’re on,” she told The Independent. “So I feel like it’s acceptable to share, but as far as being stigmatized or blacklisted or even canceled, I think there’s still some of that.
“But it’s definitely not to the degree that it was even a few years ago. Everything’s kind of loosened up a bit. It’s been called out and it’s like, we can all have different opinions and we can all still be working. There is no world in which we’re all going to think the same thing. So let’s just share what ours is and respect both sides of it.
“That’s how I’ve always done it,” she continued. “It’s like, share what you believe. No one’s trying to convince you otherwise, but, you know, it’s all about sharing what drives you or what you believe for your own purpose of how you’re living your life.”
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Bure’s Full House co-star Jodie Sweetin recently spoke about how the on-screen sisters maintain their friendship despite having differing political outlooks; Sweetin is outspoken about her liberal beliefs, which stand in stark contrast with Bure’s conservative Christian views.
Asked whether the current political climate has made people less willing to maintain friendships with those who see things differently, Bure said: “It just depends on the person.”
open image in gallery“It’s sad to me when people don’t know how to have friendships with people they don’t believe in the same things as. That’s a sad state to me,” she said.
“I really think it’s what makes the world go round. It actually makes you believe in what you believe more when you have those conversations with people who don’t believe in the same things as you. It makes you have to do the research. It makes you have to really understand, like, why do I believe that? Or am I just like parroting something that I heard someone say, or do I actually know facts? Have I researched something? Do I have a conviction over it? These are the things that make us smarter and more intelligent human beings.”
Bure also suggested that people’s upbringing plays a role, while expressing hope that the U.S. can move away from its current political divisions.
“I would love for all of us to get back to a place where having these conversations feels like a healthy place, and it doesn’t feel like we need to be divisive over it and and lose friendships over it. That’s not healthy,” she said.
open image in galleryBure took her strong belief system with her to Malaysia to film Special Forces, which is set to premiere September 24. She’ll be competing alongside disgraced former congressman George Santos, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Brandi Glanville, and about a dozen other reality TV stars and athletes.
Asked what drew her to the opportunity at this phase of life — newly 50 and about to become a first-time grandmother — she said, “I was really fearful of some of the things that I could possibly be doing, but when I’m challenged with something that scares me really badly, I like to say yes, because I don’t want fear ruling my life.
“I hope that it’s inspiring to women around my age to say we’re never too old and don’t discount us,” Bure said, adding, “and even if we’re in perimenopause or menopause, we can still do hard things.”
Season five of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test premieres September 24 on Fox.