While John Stamos and Bob Saget had a good dynamic in Full House and were real friends, Stamos reveals they had a rocky start behind the scenes.
Actor John Stamos details his shocking feud with Full House co-star Bob Saget. Stamos portrayed Jesse Katsopolis opposite Saget’s Danny Tanner in the popular comedy-drama as the characters were related by marriage through Pamela Tanner (Christine Houser) — Jesse’s sister and Danny’s first wife. Full House ran from 1987 to 1995 before being brought back for the spinoff series Fuller House on Netflix over two decades later. Both Saget and Stamos returned for a handful of Fuller House episodes before Saget died in 2022.
Now, Stamos details his early Full House feud with Saget in an excerpt from his new memoir If You Would Have Told Me (via Variety). According to the excerpt, Stamos was initially skeptical of Saget’s abilities as an actor, given the talent hailed from comedy. Saget was also reportedly jealous at how Stamos became close with fellow Full House co-star Dave Coulier, who portrayed Joey Gladstone. Stamos called Saget “the humblest egomaniac” he knows, explaining how he eventually came around to appreciate the comedian. Check out the full quote from Stamos below:
“Bob is the humblest egomaniac I’ve ever met, but he undercuts his narcissism by being so damn lovable. A walking contradiction, he makes up for his self-inflicted insecurity by being a self-inflicted aggrandizer. I know Bob is wickedly talented. I just don’t tell it to his face at this point. But If I want to learn anything about comedy, I need to study Bob… Bob and I tolerate each other and attempt to avoid interfering with each other’s creative processes, though it can be challenging.”
“Bob, Dave, and I are no longer three guys who work on the same show; we are brothers worried about amazing women slipping away from us. All the fear, fighting for family, and frustration of loss has pummeled down some of our pettiness on the set. We’re seeing not only what is important in our own relationships with each other, but also our relationships with the fans out there who are struggling with issues of life and death.”
John Stamos Has A Complicated Relationship With Full House
Luckily, Stamos and Saget came around to liking each other on the set of Full House. This likely made for a better dynamic on screen, as Jesse and Danny developed closer relationships throughout the series, particularly when they reminisced about Pamela. As Stamos wrote, the strength of Full House “pummeled down some of their pettiness on the set.” It was not the only off-screen issue he had as the actor also revealed that he almost got the Olsen twins (Michelle Tanner) fired from Full House because they cried a lot.
Stamos’ conflict with Saget was not the only obstacle the actor faced on the Full House set. In a different part of his memoir, Stamos explained that he was not confident in Full House’s success after the pilot episode. After filming, Stamos almost quit the show, thinking, “This thing will crash and burn.” Stamos turned out to be wrong, as Full House gained an audience and became one of the top ten shows of the summer.
Stamos’ feud with Saget and general feelings about Full House have softened with time. Not only does he see Coulier and Saget as “brothers,” but Stamos now reflects on his time in Full House with nostalgia. The Jesse actor has said that he “finally get[s] it. It’s more than a show. It’s a family” during the promotional run for his memoir. Stamos ultimately reversed course to express similar nostalgic words as long-time Full House viewers would feel.
