John Stamos is looking back at the early years of Full House with more honesty than nostalgia, saying his close friendship with Bob Saget did not happen right away.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Stamos discussed his relationship with Saget during a new appearance on Bobby Bones Presents: The BobbyCast. Stamos said he and Saget struggled to connect during the first years of the sitcom before family illness and grief changed the way they saw each other.
Stamos played Jesse Katsopolis on Full House, while Saget played Danny Tanner. The sitcom ran from 1987 to 1995, and both actors later reprised their roles on Netflix’s Fuller House.
Stamos Said the Early Tension Came From Different Approaches
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People reported that Stamos entered Full House with what he described as a more traditional actor’s approach. Saget and Dave Coulier, both stand-up comedians, were more focused on making the crew laugh, which Stamos said became frustrating on set.
Stamos said he was trying to work through scenes from an actor’s point of view after coming from a sitcom with Jack Klugman. He said Saget and Coulier were often trying to get laughs from the crew instead, and that Saget was especially distracting to him in those early years.
Stamos said he and Saget “didn’t get along at all for the first couple of years”.
Family Illness Changed the Relationship
The turning point came around the show’s third year, when Stamos, Saget and Coulier were all facing serious illness in their families.
Stamos said Saget’s sister was diagnosed with scleroderma, Coulier’s sister had cancer and his own sister was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Saget and Coulier both lost their sisters, while Stamos’ sister survived.
Stamos said the shared pain changed the dynamic among the three men. Instead of being three actors trying to find their rhythm on a sitcom, he said they became “three brothers grieving” their sisters.
After that, Stamos said the men became close and began to understand that they had things to learn from one another.
Saget Became One of Stamos’ Closest Friends
Stamos said Saget eventually became his best friend. He described their bond as one that lasted through divorces, marriages and other major turns in life.
Saget died on Jan. 9, 2022, at age 65 after he was found in a Florida hotel room. People reported that it was later determined he had suffered blunt head trauma after an unwitnessed fall.
Stamos said Saget’s sudden death was a “tragic loss” and remembered him as intensely affectionate. He said Saget would send repeated texts, then call to make sure the messages had been received.
Stamos Has Continued to Publicly Remember Saget
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In May, he marked what would have been Saget’s 70th birthday by sharing throwback photos, including what he described as the last picture he ever took with him.
Entertainment Weekly also noted that Coulier has faced his own recent health battles, including stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2024 and p16 squamous carcinoma in 2025.
Stamos told Us Weekly last year that he and Coulier talk often, saying he could not bear the thought of losing Coulier after Saget.