After nearly forty years in Hollywood, Candace Cameron Bure — who turns 50 in April — is feeling more sure of herself than ever. While her conservative values have come at a cost for the actress, producer and podcast host, she’s telling Us why she refuses to compromise or keep quiet.
“Every decade of my life has been better and better,” she exclusively reveals in Us Weekly’s latest cover story. “You become more confident in who you are.”
Who she is, first and foremost, is a Christian. Though she rose to stardom as Donna Jo “D.J.” Tanner on Full House at age 11, her faith and conservative values have come to define her.
She authored the 30-day devotional Rise and Renew, released in November. And Another Sweet Christmas, her latest TV movie for Great American Family, where she is chief creative officer, premieres Saturday, December 20 — three years after she defended the network’s decision to “keep traditional marriage” front and center of its programming. (She also has Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Watchmaker, premiering January 1, 2026, on Great American Flix, the network’s streamer.)
“There’s nothing I need to clear up,” Cameron Bure says about her opinions tending to make headlines. “There really isn’t. I’m just living true to me.” Which doesn’t mean the star — who’s been married to former hockey pro Valeri Bure since 1996 — considers herself above reproach. “Any mistakes, whether big or small, they’re good,” she says. “You learn from mistakes. You grow from them.”
Now firmly in her unapologetic era, the mom of three — to daughter Natasha, 27, and sons Lev, 25, and Maksim, 23 — sat down with Us to talk about her favorite time of year and standing up for her beliefs.
You’ve made more than 15 holiday movies and have been dubbed the Queen of Christmas. What does that mean to you?
It’s the holiday I look forward to most. I like to make it as peaceful and simple as possible and really make Christmas about connecting with my family and friends. The older I get, I just want to have deep, meaningful moments. Val always makes a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner for us and then we go to church.
How does your faith shape the way you celebrate Christmas?
Jesus being born … is the foundation of it, which is why we read the Bible the morning of Christmas, to remind ourselves what we’re actually celebrating — the birth of Jesus — and that we give gifts because Jesus gave us the gift of salvation. Those are beautiful things.
Speaking of presents, this is the second year in a row you’ve given fans the gift of a holiday movie with you and Cameron Mathison. What’s your secret to creating onscreen chemistry with a leading man?
It’s just about getting to know each other. I’m fortunate enough to produce these movies. I really love being able to cast people who I already know are good human beings and happy and positive. I just like working with good people, and then when I find them, I want to keep working with them.
Let’s talk about your switch in 2022 from working with Hallmark to Great American Family, which makes content about “faith, family and country.”
I feel like these movies have resonated so much. The channel has really leaned into that market and the people who are yearning for the name Jesus to be in Christmas movies — and I think that Great American will continue to lean even further into those types of stories.
Why does making films rooted in religion matter to you?
Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ truly is the most important thing in my life, and I get to share this in creative ways as a woman of faith in the entertainment industry.
Have there been moments when you questioned whether it was worth it to be so open about your religious beliefs?
The Bible says to go out into the world and share the good news with others, to share the gospel. To deny that in any part of my life would be denying the very thing that I’m so appreciative of, which is Jesus. I cannot separate those two things, and so I walk boldly in that. Throughout that process, sometimes you take hits and people don’t like you for it, but this is my life. I get to make my choices.
Do you ever feel like your intentions are misunderstood?
There are certainly things that have stuck with me. I don’t want to give specifics, because I don’t want them recycled in the news, and that’s the part that’s so difficult. But I definitely have felt misunderstood. Headlines and narratives have been written that are simply not truthful, and those things hurt because people believe them. I think that clickbait headlines are awful … and yet, we’re in a business where that’s what happens, so we take the risk every time we do an interview. And I say “we” because I mean everybody, whether you’re an actor, a musician, a business owner, a politician — anytime you give a public interview, you are at risk of a misleading headline. So things like that over the years have definitely felt like arrows being shot, and it’s very difficult to change people’s opinions once they’ve decided.
Would you like to clear up a particular misconception?
No, I really don’t. The people who know me well know my heart. God knows my heart. And that’s what matters most to me. At the end of the day, not everyone’s going to like me, and that’s OK.
How do you respond to backlash?
I mostly turn inward at this point. I just ignore it. Not everyone’s going to like what I have to say or agree with it or think I’m archaic or not on the right side of history. And I don’t care, I want to be on God’s side of history, so everyone else’s opinions can change every few years, every decade, whatever. But I know that God’s word never changes, therefore, I don’t want to change. If God doesn’t, I don’t want to.
Is it ever hard to find balance?
Yeah, I don’t think anyone can really win [with] balance. I look at Jennifer Lawrence. She has been adorable, like, everyone loved her, and then she kind of stepped away, and now that she’s coming back, she’s turned people off. And she’s someone who has been so loved by the majority of people. It just goes to show you that no matter how wonderful you are, you just kind of can’t win. So I’m in the same boat. I think we all are.
Have you ever worried about being canceled?
Well, sure. I’ve been dropped from contracts and I have lost brand partnerships over the last few years. But I’m a fighter, man. I just keep getting back up and do the work I want to do. There are so many great people and companies out there that do want to partner up with me. No matter what side of the fence you’re on, you find your people, and I found mine … I have an audience of one, and that’s God. I’m going to face a holy God. When I die, I’m not going to stand before that person in the comments who doesn’t like me, so I’m more worried about my eternal life.
Other stars like Gwen Stefani, Mark Wahlberg and Chris Pratt have become more vocal about their own faith in recent years. Do you feel growing support within the entertainment business?
Yes. For as much hate as I get, I have felt so much love within the community of people that are more conservative in Hollywood. People are speaking up a whole lot more than they have in the past. I would like to hope that it becomes less divisive, that we can all exist together and it’s OK to have differing opinions. We can all still sit at the table together and have respect.
You’ve been open on ‘The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast’ about marriage being a constant reevaluation. Can you say more about that?
You know what? I would rather not talk about that, because our marriage is so wonderful, and I feel like it’s only negative things are being pulled into articles, you know, a bite out of a bigger conversation. I love my husband so much. We are enjoying each other so incredibly much. Because anyone knows that when you’ve had kids and you go through that walk or that journey together, which can be great, but then it’s basically the two of you again, once your kids are all adults, it’s like we started dating again, and it’s been so beautiful. And I’m just in such a happy, happy place, as is Val, and I’m just looking forward to the next 30 years, and hopefully more than that.
How has your relationship evolved with the kids out of the house?
We’re going to the movies a lot more. Val actually surprised me and we flew to Las Vegas for the day to see The Wizard of Oz — my all-time favorite movie — at The Sphere. I literally cried because I was so overwhelmed and grateful. I’m in such a happy, happy place.
Natasha got married in September. How was it playing mother of the bride?
She didn’t have a wedding coordinator, so I got to be the person she bounced ideas off. It was so much fun for me!
Your ‘Full House’ costar Lori Loughlin’s daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli was a bridesmaid.
To grow up alongside Lori and then become friends as adults, and then see our children grow up together … Lori and I were pregnant at the same time, and then to see our kids really be best friends — my heart could not feel fuller.
How have you and the rest of the cast maintained your friendships for so long?
Time has gone on, circumstances change, but the deep love for one another has never changed. We really became a second family. I think we’re all kind of ride-or-dies for each other.
Let’s talk about your big birthday …
I’m so excited to turn 50! Every woman that I’ve talked to in their 50s has said it keeps getting better, aside from the menopause part. I’m not looking forward to that.
You’ve been vocal about choosing to age gracefully instead of getting pumped with injectables.
The pressure is very real. I’m going to be honest with you: I got some Botox.
What inspired you to take the leap?
I was trying to fight this good fight, yet I was looking at my face getting more and more wrinkles, and I just wanted to get Botox. I feel better for it. I really do want to age as naturally as possible, but I’ve always said I think everyone should age however they want to age. I don’t know how I’m going to feel in 10 years — if I want to get a facelift, I’ll get a facelift.
When it comes to your body, have you set any new fitness goals as you approach 50?
To have muscles like I’ve never had before! My aunt and my cousin were both bodybuilders, and I’ve always enjoyed the aesthetic.
Would you ever enter a competition?
Never say never. I’m loving seeing these muscles that I’ve never seen on my body before. I want to keep growing them.
How do you motivate yourself to exercise when you don’t feel like it?
As my longtime trainer Kira Stokes says: Moving your body is a gift, not a given. I look at it through that lens and am grateful I’m able to work out.
You seem really at peace. Are there any changes you’re hoping 2026 will bring?
I hope to be a grandmother! (In addition to daughter Natasha getting hitched, son Lev married Elliott Dunham in 2024.) I don’t want to put pressure on my kids, but I really do hope that maybe one of them will have a baby next year. I want to be called Candy Gram!
Another Sweet Christmas, costarring Cameron Mathison, was the first Great American Family movie to get a theatrical release, in November. It premieres on TV Saturday, December 20, at 8 p.m. ET..
For more insight on Cameron Bure’s beliefs and career highs and lows watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
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