Candace Cameron Bure responds to Miss Benny’s claims of homophobic behaviour on Fuller House
Candace Cameron Bure has refuted the suggestion she didn’t want a queer character on Fuller House. (Netflix)
Glamorous star Miss Benny has suggested that Fuller House star Candace Cameron Bure attempted to “remove” her queer character from the Netflix sitcom.
Miss Benny’s star is on the rise. The 24-year-old actress, who came out as trans in a moving essay last month, is one of dozens of queer, talented superstars enjoying a massive rise to fame in 2023.
Last month, her first leading role debuted in Netflix’s unflinchingly queer, irrepressibly Gen-Z series Glamorous alongside Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall. The series has barely left the top 10 most-watched list on the streaming platform, signifying that this really is Miss Benny’s moment.
Yet before becoming a leading lady, she got one of her first big breaks as Casey, the first ever LGBTQ+ character cast in Netflix’s Fuller House, the sequel to the popular ‘90s hit sitcom Full House.
Similar to the original series, Fuller House, which ran from 2016 to 2020, focussed on lead character, the widowed DJ Tanner-Fuller (Candace Cameron Bure), as she moved into her childhood home in San Francisco alongside her sister Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin).
Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) and her daughter Ramona Gibbler (Soni Nicole Bringas) stayed with them, while Miss Benny was Casey, a friend of Ramona. Casey’s part was small, but according to the actress behind the character, she seemingly had a big impact on the rest of the cast.
In a TikTok video posted by Miss Benny on Thursday (6 July), the actress and singer alleged that one of the two actresses playing the Tanner sisters was less than impressed about a queer character joining the show – and even tried to get the character wiped from the script.
Beginning the clip in response to a fan question on “who was homophobic” in the Fuller House cast, Miss Benny said: “One of the Tanner sisters is like very publicly not for the girls, if that makes sense.
“I remember I got sat down by the writers and the studio to basically warn me how this person allegedly was trying to get the character removed and not have a queer character on the show.
“I was also sort of warned and prepared that this person’s fanbase night be encouraged to target me specifically.”
While the star didn’t explicitly name which of the two actresses had allegedly taken issue with the queer character, she did caption the post with the hashtag #CandaceBure.
At the end of last year, Bure caught heat after suggesting in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that she had parted ways with TV channel Hallmark as she didn’t agree with the broadcaster featuring a queer Christmas love story.
Speaking about her move to cable network Great American Family, Bure said that her new network would instead “keep traditional marriage at the core”.
After facing criticism for the comment, she shared a strange Instagram post in which she said she “loved” those who were “attacking” her online, and declared that “we need Christmas more than ever”.
When queer entertainer JoJo Siwa condemned Bure for “excluding LGBTQIA+” people, fellow Tanner sister Jodie Sweetin responded by telling Siwa: “You know I love you.”
However, Candace Cameron Bure has come forward to refute Miss Benny’s allegations, telling PEOPLE that Fuller House “welcomed a wide range of characters”.
“I never asked Miss Benny’s character to be removed from Fuller House and did not ask the writers, producers or studio executives to not have queer characters on the show,” Bure said in a statement.
“I thought Miss Benny did a great job as Casey on the show. We didn’t share any scenes together, so we didn’t get a chance to talk much while filming on set. I wish Miss Benny only the best.”
In an interview with The Advocate back in 2018, when Miss Benny’s appearance on Fuller House was announced, the show’s gay writer Nicholas Fascitelli said that Bure actually “loved” the Casey storyline.
“Candace is indeed a conservative. But she will surprise you. I’ll admit I was a little nervous about how she would react at the table read, but she loved the story and was great about everything,” he said at the time.
Rounding off her TikTok post, Miss Benny confirmed that she only ever “had a conversation with one of the Tanner sisters”, but explained that her experience was ultimately untainted as it “led to [her] being on Glamorous“.
“It continually blows my mind how queer people, specifically queer young adults and queer children, are being targeted and having to advocate for themselves against adults,” she added.
