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Neal Bledsoe Leaves Network After Latest Candace Cameron Bure Drama
The actor is no longer working with the Great American Family network, in "unconditional support" of LGBTQ+ people.
The pushback against Candace Cameron Bure’s problematic statement continues.
Multiple celebrities have now reacted to Bure’s statement that LGBTQ+ people wouldn’t be included in the films produced by the Great American Family network so that the channel could focus on “faith programming and good family entertainment,” as well as her definition of “traditional marriage.” The actress is also working as the chief creative officer for the network, which means that her statement holds a lot of weight.
The latest update in this saga comes from Neal Bledsoe, an actor who’s appeared in Great American Family movies but who will no longer work for the network following Bure’s comments. “My life wouldn’t be where it is today without the love, support, and guidance of the LGBTQ+ community,” Bledsoe told Variety. “As someone who struggled as a young man with our society’s extremely narrow definition of masculinity, it was their community that provided me with refuge and a guiding light when my life felt lost. And now, if I cannot stand up for that community in their time of need, my debt to them means nothing. So, I want to be very clear: my support for the LGBTQ+ community is unconditional.”
The actor went on, “The recent comments made by leadership at Great American Family are hurtful, wrong, and reflect an ideology that prioritizes judgment over love. I was raised as a Christian, and believe in the essential message of love and forgiveness. That said, I could never forgive myself for continuing my relationship with a network that actively chooses to exclude the LGBTQ+ community.”
Bledsoe is best known for his work on TV shows such as Ugly Betty, Smash, The Mysteries of Laura, Ironside, and Shameless, among others. He recently starred in the Great American Family movie Christmas at the Drive-In. However, it seems like this will be Bledsoe’s last time working for the network unless it makes drastic changes.
With Bure being the chief creative officer of GAF, her statement is absolutely a reflection of the network as a whole. After her Full House costar Jodie Sweetin criticized Bure’s anti-LGBTQ+ remarks, the actress went as far as unfollowing Sweetin on Instagram, which shows that Bure is completely missing the point of the backlash she’s receiving.
It’s a huge shame that certain networks – and the executives working for them – are still so passionately dedicated to the exclusion of LGBTQ+ people from their projects as of 2022. Imagine how exhausted we are.
No, Hallmark does not own Great American Family – they are completely separate cable channels. However, former Hallmark Media CEO Bill Abbott left the company to run the Great American Family network.
Candace Cameron Bure left the Hallmark Channel in April 2022 to work as an actress and chief creative officer for Great American Family.
Neal Bledsoe is 41 years old.
Bernardo Sim is a writer, editor, and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.
Bernardo Sim is a writer, editor, and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.
