Top 50 Podcasts in America This Week: Former Queen of Hallmark Stirs Up Holiday Controversy

This week, we take a look at the podcasts topping the Apple charts.

Holding onto the top spot on the chart for a second week in a row is Murder & Magnolias from NBC News.

Hosted by Keith Morrison, this show follows the story of a Charleston, South Carolina couple targeted by a hit man in 2013. A random traffic stop would foil the plot and reveal a web of lies and secrecy within a marriage.

Following Murder & Magnolias is The Daily, Dateline NBC, Crime Junkie, and Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra.

A notable mention climbing the charts this week is The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast which takes its place at number 67 on the charts.

Host and former Hallmark Channel star Candace Cameron Bure made headlines this week after revealing that her new job with Great American Family will produce movies that focus solely on “traditional marriage.”

Bure, who now serves as the network’s chief creative officer, told The Wall Street Journal that her “heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them.”

Bure elaborated that the reason she chose to leave Hallmark for the new job was because she “knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment.”

According to Variety, the change in career direction seems to coincide with the upcoming release of a new Hallmark movie set to feature the studio’s first same-sex couple.

Bure addressed the controversy on social media Wednesday, saying that the reports about her comments were an attempt to assassinate her character.

“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. 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,” she said.

Check out the full list below: