Actress Candace Cameron Bure responded with grace, forgiveness, kindness, and a heartfelt apology after performer JoJo Siwa dubbed Bure the “rudest celebrity” she had met.
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The ordeal kicked off Sunday, when Siwa posted a TikTok video quickly flashing images on her phone of celebrities she has encountered, likes, or believes are the “coolest.”
Fans pointed out that Siwa shared an image of Bure with the caption “Rudest celebrity I’ve met…”
That designation immediately kicked off a media firestorm, with outlets covering Siwa’s claim about the “Fuller House” star. The media avalanche caught Bure’s attention, but rather than respond with anger or frustration, the actress sought reconciliation and reacted with the compassion she’s become known for exhibiting.
Bure, 46, posted a video to social media Tuesday night sharing her shock over the entire ordeal.
“I was shocked when I saw the TikTok on Sunday and had no idea where it came from,” Bure said, noting she immediately tried to reach out to Siwa through a mutual friend and even direct-messaged her on social media.
The two connected via phone Tuesday morning, and Bure said they had a “great conversation.” Siwa reportedly said she didn’t think the video, which has amassed 20 million views, was a big deal and had no idea it would go viral.
“It was a big deal,” Bure told Siwa and asked, “What did I do to you?”
Bure’s reconciliatory tone was anything but negative, as the actress genuinely wanted to understand how she hurt Siwa. At first, she said Siwa felt the circumstance was silly and not a “big deal” and didn’t even want to share the details.
But Siwa then explained how she met Bure when Siwa was 11 years old on the red carpet of the “Fuller House” premiere. When she asked Bure for a photo, the actress said “not right now” — something Siwa hadn’t forgotten.
Bure, recounting her Tuesday conversation with Siwa, said she quickly apologized. She also said Siwa explained she understands now, as an adult, the chaos of the red carpet and why Bure might have reacted the way she did at the time.
“JoJo, I’m so sorry,” she said. “Please know, especially as a mom, it breaks my heart that I made you feel that way.”
Watch Bure’s video response here.
“We had a really great discussion,” Bure said. “All good. All good on the JoJo front.”
That being said, Bure offered an important lesson for everyone who uses social media.
“I think the lesson that we can learn is to be mindful that, no matter how many followers you have, even a 10-second trending TikTok video can do damage because our words matter and our actions matter,” she said. “Whether you have 50 million followers, or 500 followers, or 5 followers, we all influence the people around us.”
The “Fuller House” celebrity also apologized to anyone else who met her and felt she wasn’t the person they had hoped to encounter.
“I get asked for photos and autographs often, and 99% of the time, it is my joy to do that,” Bure said. “But I’m still a human being — all public people are — and sometimes you have bad days, and sometimes you’re stressed out.”
Bure continued, “I pride myself on being a kind person. … I just hope that we can all have grace for one another.”
This is a kind and appropriate response. Bure could have responded negatively or ignored Siwa entirely, but she reached out not only to find out what she did wrong but to also apologize for hurting Siwa’s feelings. This is a wonderful example for us all when it comes to addressing tough circumstances.
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