Candace Cameron Bure is defending herself from the backlash that erupted over comments she made about traditional marriages.
The "Full House" star came under fire when, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, she said that the Great American Family network, where she serves as a chief creative officer, "will keep traditional marriage at the core."
Several celebrities and organizations took aim at Bure, including JoJo, who called her remarks "rude and hurtful," Hilarie Burton, who slammed Bure as a "bigot" and "hypocrite," and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which stated that Bure's comments were "irresponsible and hurtful" to use "tradition as a guise for exclusion."
Bure responded to the outrage in a statement on Instagram saying that, while the negative response "broke my heart," she still had "great love and affection" for her critics.
"I would like to address my comments on Great American Family's programming as reported in the Wall Street Journal," she began her statement posted Wednesday.
"All of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people. It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone.
"It saddens me that the media is often seeking to divide us, even around a subject as comforting and merry as Christmas movies. But, given the toxic climate in our culture right now, I shouldn't be surprised. We need Christmas more than ever."
Bure described herself as a "devoted Christian," adding that her comments were filtered through her religious beliefs.
"To the members of the media responsible for using this opportunity to fan flames of conflict and hate, I have a simple message: I love you anyway," she continued.
"To those who hate what I value and who are attacking me online: I love you. To those who have tried to assassinate my character: I love you. To everyone reading this, of any race, creed, sexuality, or political party, including those who have tried to bully me with name-calling, I love you. ... And in the sole motivation of pure love, I hope you'll join me in sharing God’s hope for all the world this Christmas season. Call that my Christmas wish."