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For Candace Cameron Bure, 50, ‘Full House’ Takes on a New Meaning
The star is looking forward to her newest role: becoming a ‘grandma times two’
VIDEO: Candace Cameron Bure Is Living Her Fullest Life Yet
AARP (Courtesy Anderson Group PR)
Candace Cameron Bure, 50, has come a long way from the rule-following big sister D.J. Tanner on Full House. “I’m so grateful for those formative years on Full House, being around people that made the experience so positive and joyful. It made me want to stay in the entertainment industry for life,” she says.
The culturally enduring series, which also starred the late Bob Saget; John Stamos, 62; Dave Coulier, 66; Lori Loughlin, 62; Jodie Sweetin, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, ran for eight seasons, from 1987 to 1995. After it ended, Candace married hockey player Valeri Bure, 52. The couple has three adult children — daughter Natasha and two sons, Lev and Maksim. “It’s been joyful,” says Bure.
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Fans of Full House were treated with Fuller House, which brought Bure back to the Tanner home. Many of the original cast returned for the series, which ran from 2016 to 2020. “Being able to come back to do Fuller House was such a gift and moment in time that I’ll never forget,” she says.
Another gift Bure points to is her recent announcement that she’s going to be a grandmother, as both Natasha and Lev are expecting children with their spouses.
Bure says her new 30-day devotional, “Wild Hope: One Step Closer,” includes prompts to help create new habits in your life.
Courtesy Anderson Group PR
“My husband and I have been eagerly waiting for this day since two of our kids got married,” Bure says. “My grandma name is Candygram, but they can call me whatever they want! I’m ready for all the cuddles and kisses, stroller walks and ice cream, play dates in the sand and anything else they can dream of doing.”
She also hosts a faith-based podcast, The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast, and produces and stars in holiday movies for Great American Family, a television network focused on faith-based programming. “Faith has been a huge part of my life since I was a young girl, and it keeps getting stronger,” Bure says.
Bure talked with AARP about aging, what she plans to focus on as she enters her fifth decade, and life lessons she learned from Full House.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Bob Saget and Bure on the set of “Fuller House” in 2019. Saget died in 2022. He was 65.
Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
You turned 50 in April. How did you celebrate such a big milestone?
I celebrated in the best way possible — with my family. They surprised me with a beautiful dinner at home. That’s really what I wanted — to spend time with the people I love most.
You and your husband just celebrated 30 years of marriage. How are you keeping it fresh as you move into your 50s and beyond?
Thirty years is like a million dog years or a million years in Hollywood. It’s a great milestone to achieve, and I think what’s worked for us is knowing who we are individually and being respectful in knowing our respective needs. We want to intentionally be there for each other, pressing on and learning from one another.
What are your priorities in life? Have they changed over the years?
Faith is always going to be first, family is second and fitness is probably the third one for me. Faith has been a huge part of my life since I was a young girl, and it keeps getting stronger. My family has always been one of the most important parts of my life because as you get older, you realize how precious moments are and how time is fleeting. Fitness has always been a part of my life, and since I turned 48, I wanted to prep for this next decade and hopefully go into my 60s and 70s in the best shape of my life. I want longevity and more time with my family, and that is really why health and fitness are so important to me.
As a ’90s TV icon, what advice do you have for millennials and younger Gen Xers as they come to terms with getting older?
Here’s the thing — you never feel old in your heart or spirit. Times have changed, because I look at people like J. Lo at 50, and you think, That’s not what my mom or grandma looked like back then. Every decade gets better. That’s what I can honestly tell you from experience: that things come back around. Whatever you loved as a kid, it’s going to come back around, and you’re going to fall back in love again.
What was your experience as a child star, being on Full House?
I didn’t seek to be in the spotlight, and I was born in Los Angeles, so it just kind of worked out to try acting. I was lucky to get the part of D.J. Tanner, as it really set me on a path of loving storytelling and entertaining families. Being on Full House was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I made forever friends and family. It gave me the platform that I have today. I particularly look at young people and want to make sure that they have those experiences, at least when they’re working with my company — that they feel safe and protected, and have joy in what they’re doing.
The cast of “Full House,” which originally ran on ABC from 1987 to 1995: Top, from left: Dave Coulier, John Stamos, Bob Saget, Scott Weinger. Bottom, from left: Andrea Barber, Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit, Lori Loughlin, Jodie Sweetin, Mary-Kate Olsen, Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit and Bure.
ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
Have you stayed in touch with any of your Full House and Fuller House colleagues?
Yep! Everyone. We’ve been family for 40 years. We have Full House and Fuller House group chats. We are always there for each other, no matter what, and hang out whenever we are in the same city.
Do your kids watch either show?
I can’t say they’re avid watchers, but they’ve seen both shows. They would come to the set during our live tape nights on Fuller House and experience all of it with me. They understand how special these shows are to our family, and I love that they appreciate what they’ve meant to so many people who watch them.
A major milestone is on the horizon for Candace Cameron Bure — becoming a grandma: “I’m ready for all the cuddles and kisses, stroller walks and ice cream, play dates in the sand and anything else they can dream of doing,” she says.
Courtesy Anderson Group PR
Congratulations on becoming a grandmother. What was your first reaction?
I am so excited to become a grandma times two. Natasha and Bradley have a little video of my husband, Valeri, and me when they told us, and they had little baby clothes laying out on a chair. I knew instantly once I saw them what it meant. I was freaking out. Just a few weeks later, I got the news that my son and his wife were also having a baby. We’re over the moon. I cannot wait.
What kind of grandma do you plan on becoming, and what are you going to have them call you?
I just want to spoil them to death and do all the fun things. I want to be the kind of grandparent that my kids want from us. So they might have different parenting styles, they might have different rules, and I want to follow them. I want to be the best grandma I can be so that the kids want to be around me and my actual kids want to give them to us all the time. I have been talking about being called Candygram. I don’t know if the kids will be able to say it or pronounce it, and they can call me whatever they want, but I thought Candygram was cute. From every person I’ve talked to that’s a grandparent, they say it’s the best time in the world.
Your 30-day devotional, Wild Hope, came out on June 9. Who or what inspires your writing?
I wanted to remind myself and encourage others that there is always hope in life, and it’s never bleak, no matter your circumstances, and that hope comes from the word of God. This devotional is filled with scripture and personal stories. It’s a 30-day devotional, and it’s also interactive, so I write about not just scripture and reflective things but ideas to think about and questions to answer honestly to yourself. There are little prompts that I hope create new habits in our lives.
Do you talk to your brother, former Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron [55], often? Are you close? Does your faith help connect you?
Yes, I love my brother, and we talk. We don’t live in the same state and both lead full lives with our families and work. But we’re thankful for FaceTime. We also have two sisters, Melissa and Bridgette, and between the four of us siblings, there are 17 grandchildren and now great-grandchildren for our parents.
You have a self-titled podcast. Can you share a bit more about that?
I’ve been recording the podcast for over three years, and it’s a little different from others in that I have one guest for an entire season, which can be six to 12 episodes. We deep dive into topics like parenting, purpose, spirituality and intentionality. It’s about faith, and everything is from a biblical worldview.
“I love talking about Christmas — it’s my favorite holiday,” says Bure, who starred in “If I Only Had Christmas” with Warren Christie in 2020.
Hallmark Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection
You’ve been dubbed the “Queen of Christmas” because of your extensive holiday movie roster. Can you tell us about any 2026 holiday movies you’re producing or starring in?
I love talking about Christmas — it’s my favorite holiday. This year, I have two new movies coming out that will be on the Great American Family channel and streaming on Great American Pure Flix. One of them is called One More Christmas, and it’s a sweet story about reconciliation between a divorced couple. There’s also the third installment of the Home Sweet Home Christmas movies, starring alongside Cameron Mathison. We shot the whole movie in Budapest, and it was beautiful.
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