While your memories of Full House may be quite rosy, if you go back and watch the show again, you may be surprised to find yourself quite disturbed. That’s not to say that there weren’t some great Full House episodes, but it was easily one of the most disturbing sitcoms that ever aired. Sure, it was one of the best family shows in the ’80s and ’90s, but a closer look will reveal some creepy things you never noticed.
Full House first aired in September 1987 and ran for eight seasons. It is an American sitcom essentially centered around three men trying to raise three girls. So, what exactly are the creepy elements of Full House? What did you miss when you watched it in your innocent youth? Check out the reasons why Full House is inappropriate as a family show below and vote up the strongest arguments.
1 They Laughed At Mental Health Problems
Not only did people laugh at Danny’s OCD, but they laughed at mental health issues in general. In “Grand Gift Auto,” Uncle Joey buys DJ a 1977 Firebird for her 16th birthday! Except it was stolen… So, of course the police get involved, but the family convinces the cop that Joey is a high-functioning mentally handicapped person. Um, does anyone else see how wrong this is? Not only is this illegal, but it’s totally disrespective of actual mentally handicapped people.
2 Danny Dated A Girl A Few Years Older Than His Daughter
Everyone knows that Bob Saget was a total perv, but Danny Tanner was a saint. That’s what made it so funny! But in the episode “The Graduates,” Danny stooped to Saget-levels of sadness. He starts dating a college student who was only 21. His eldest daughter, DJ, is almost in high school, which means Danny’s girlfriend is only a few years older than his daughter. That’s objectively creepy.
3 The Guest Appearances Were Disturbing
Hurray! Jesse’s elderly grandfather, Papouli, is visiting! Oh, he died in his sleep… Full House was notorious for having disturbing guest appearances, like when Mickey Rooney played an eccentric old man who kidnaps Michelle and Jesse to spend Christmas with him in his store because he doesn’t want to be alone in “Arrest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Like, WTF?
4 Danny Was Absolutely Neurotic And Someone Should Have Gotten Him Help
Poor Danny. He was always the butt of everyone’s jokes. They would tease him and torment him about dust on the shelves, crumbs on the counter, and the dreaded tub-ring. Danny Tanner had a problem. He was absolutely neurotic about cleaning and it affected the lives of everyone he loved. He displays the signs and symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), where he has to clean things or he feels very anxious. It’s a real illness and can come in varying degrees, yet Danny’s family openly mock him for his irresistible impulse to clean. A supportive family would try to get the man some help.
5 That Endless Dream Sequence
In the episode “The Seven-Month Itch: Part 1,” Jesse gets fed up with living in the hellish pit of despair and misery that is Full House, and decides to move out on his own. What drives the King to his breaking point? A top contender for the most cringe-worthy women: the three-minute long dream sequence where people keep interrupting him from boning. Yes, that really happened.
6 The Tanners Were The Most Self-Absorbed Human Beings On The Planet
As a family, the Tanners might be the most self-absorbed group of people on earth. They act like the universe revolves around their quirky little family unit and expect the world to bend to their every whim. In “Stephanie Plays the Field,” DJ interrupts a game of baseball to chat up her sister about boys while everyone in the bleachers angrily waits for them to finish.
In “Our Very First Christmas Show,” the Tanners get trapped in an airport on December 25th. Instead of keeping their giant, loud, obnoxious family out of the way, Jesse gets in in front of everyone and demands their attention for a long-winded speech. Then he starts performing Christmas carols and forces them to sing along.
7 That Forever Music Video
Music videos were all the rage back in the ’90. During that time, Jesse and the Rippers were pretty popular, so it kind of made sense that Full House would give Uncle Jesse the music video treatment. The only problem was that it was super creepy. In “Captain Video: Part 2,” Jesse does a weird, semi-nude video to accompany his cover of Beach Boys’s “Forever.”
8 Jesse Was A Total Narcissist
Uncle Jesse was completely obsessed with himself (can you really blame him, though?). Aunt Becky has mentioned that he takes longer to get ready than she does on several occasions. He wears his hair like a crown. In “Dr. Dare Rides Again,” he pretends he’s Evel Knievel and rides his motorcycle around the roof to get some attention. Oh, and let’s not forget all the times he brought his band to practice in the communal living room.
9 Joey Was An Inept Man-Child
Joey has a bad case of Peter Pan Syndrome. He is constantly watching cartoons, always doing those terrible impressions, and his best friend is a puppet! He accidentally buys a stolen car, he gets fired for hugging his boss, and what about those pajamas?
10 Full House Was Homophobic
Full House really had an opportunity to be an advocate for homosexual civil rights with three men trying to raise children together, but instead, they just make uncomfortable gay jokes whenever the topic comes up. In “Fraternity Reunion,” Danny and Joey decide to dress in drag to pull off a college-level scheme like a demented episode of Three’s Company. They had ample opportunities to make the gay community feel welcome (hello, the show was set in San Fransisco!), like when Michelle’s friend, Derek, wants to wear rainbow soccer uniforms.
11 They Were Pretty Raunchy For A Kids Show
Aside from the time Stephanie called Kimmy Gibbler a whore, there were plenty of inappropriate moments in Full House. For examaple, in the episode “The IQ Man,” Jesse gets a gig as an actor in a commercial, and his producer asked him to wear nothing but a towel. Sure, it’s not exactly Cinemax, but this was supposed to be a children’s show.
12 They Were Kind Of Racist
Aside from featuring an almost exclusively white cast, Full House had a few moments of blatant racism. In the episode “The Wedding: Part 2,” Jesse goes skydiving before his wedding (because he’s an attention-hungry narcissist), lands in a pile of tomatoes, and gets arrested. He then hitches a ride to the church on a bus full of gospel singers. He hires them to sing at his wedding, and he pays them in tomatoes. Seriously?
And in the episode “Pal Joey,” there’s a flashback to when Joey and Danny were kids and they did a “soul shake” to prove they were “soul brothers…” So many things are wrong here.
