“Fuller House” actress Candace Cameron Bure and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” veteran Bianca del Rio engaged in a heated Instagram exchange Thursday… over a T-shirt.
The feud began when Bure, 40, posted the following photo to her Instagram account.
The phrase “not today, Satan” was popularized by Rio, who said it on an episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in 2014. The drag queen has a merchandise line emblazoned with the phrase, and it also happens to be the name of her recent tour.
Once Rio caught wind of Bure’s photo, she quickly reposted it to her own Instagram, along with a caption blasting the former “View” co-host, who is known for her conservative Christian views, as “homophobic.”
A post shared by Candace Cameron Bure (@candacecbure) on
Many of the drag queen’s followers then headed over to Bure’s page, where they blasted the actress in the comments below her photo for wearing the shirt, which does not appear to be one of the many sold on Rio’s website.
“People of the LGBTQ community are tired of straight cis people taking things from us and using it for their own and not crediting community,” one person wrote. Added another: “To go against gay rights, to sh*t on our lives, and then parade yourself around in OUR clothing and OUR phrases is insulting.”
IF ONLY, THIS HOMOPHOBIC, REPUBLICAN KNEW……… ?❤?❤
A post shared by Bianca Del Rio (@thebiancadelrio) on
Still, others came to the star’s defense. “Just because she’s Christian doesn’t mean she’s homophobic,” one person wrote. “She didn’t even say anything bad, it’s just how it got interpreted.”
The furor then prompted Bure to write to Rio directly on Instagram. The drag queen shared a screenshot of the comment.
“I’m not homophobic and [it’s] always sad when people think otherwise. Loving Jesus doesn’t mean I hate gay people or anyone,” Bure wrote. “You sent a bunch of hateful people to my page writing horrible things.” She then urged Rio to “spread love and kindness, even when you disagree with people.”
A post shared by Bianca Del Rio (@thebiancadelrio) on
Of course, Bure has a checkered history when it comes to the LGBTQ community. In 2015, she defended bakeries who turn away same-sex couples looking to purchase wedding cakes, arguing that business owners’ decision to reject those customers was “freedom of association” and “First Amendment rights.” She also tweeted her support of Chick-fil-A after the fast food chain ignited a media firestorm when its president, Dan Cathy, spoke out against same-sex marriage.
Last year, however, she said she’d be open to a gay plotline on “Fuller House,” noting, “I’m an actress on a television show and I support all things that we go through as human beings and would love all our characters to explore whatever issues that are current in our culture and our society today.”
