Kimmy Gibbler actor Andrea Barber admits to being wary of the fan backlash from retconning the family aspect of her character in Fuller House. Four years since the Fuller House finale on Netflix, the family sitcom remains a comfort show on the platform thanks to its nostalgic storytelling and subject. With that comes a couple of podcasts looking back at the Full House franchise’s history, allowing people involved in both shows to reveal new information about their respective characters. That’s exactly the case when Barber recently addressed a major change to her character in the Netflix sequel spinoff.
In her rewatch podcast with former co-star, Jodie Sweetin, How Rude, Tanneritos! (via People), Barber recalled her reaction to learning that Fuller House would introduce Kimmy’s family. She candidly shared that she was a bit nervous that the Netflix spinoff was changing her character’s established history from Full House, afraid that the fans would hold it against her. Sweetin also chimed in, offering two cents about the matter. Read their full quotes below:
Barber : “So, when we went in to shoot Fuller House and they were going to introduce the character of Jimmy Gibbler, they said, ‘Oh, we’re so excited. We’re gonna have Jimmy Gibler!’ And I’m like, ‘Guys, no. The fans are going to lord this over me. I’m gonna get questions. I’m gonna get DMs. I’m gonna get emails for the rest of my life if you name him anything other than Garth!’
“I’m like, ‘Okay. Here we go.’ And I’m still hearing about it.”
Sweetin : “So, he’s obviously older. So, Jimmy was younger, though, because Jimmy’s younger than me.”
“So, Jimmy is a baby and does not replace Garth. But we don’t know what happened to Garth. Maybe he went to Reno and never came back, and he’s a degenerate gambler. I don’t know. Anything could be possible in the Gibbler family.”
How Kimmy’s Fuller House Family Introduction Changed Her History
Essentially, Kimmy became the third Tanner sister in the Netflix series. This was in light of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen refusing to reprise their joint role as Michelle Fuller House. This also effectively promoted Barber’s character to a main cast member from a supporting role in Full House, motivating the spinoff sequel to develop her storylines despite not being blood-related to Danny Tanner’s clan. That included having to bring in the Gibblers, Jimmy, who eventually became Stephanie’s love interest, and Mr. and Mrs. Gibbler. While Kimmy’s brother became a regular presence in the show, however, their parents only appeared once.
Introducing the Gibblers, as Barber mentioned, created a host of micro-continuity issues. She didn’t have a brother in Full House and barely mentioned her parents in the original show. Fuller House solidified Kimmy’s place as an extended member of the Tanner family, however, upon meeting her mom and dad. While she was treated mostly like a nuisance in the original show, seeing how neglectful her parents were somehow made viewers sympathetic towards her. It was a bit more difficult to justify suddenly debuting Jimmy, but his arrival was more important to Stephanie’s story than her sister’s.
Ultimately, it was a good decision to treat her more like a member of the Tanner family in Fuller House. While DJ’s clan had been important to her storyline, Kimmy also played an important part in becoming an honorary Danny Tanner sister. She volunteered to be a surrogate for Stephanie and Jimmy’s first daughter, which was one of the best arcs in the series. Beyond that, her story with Fernando was also unique, not to mention hilarious.
