Anne Marie McEvoy, who is known for her role as popular girl Kathy Santon in ABC sitcom Full-House, has left Hollywood to become a full-time professor honoring her passion.
It might come as a surprise, but leaving the glamorous world of showbiz for good is not entirely unheard of, though it is rare. Legendary actor Daniel Day-Lewis, with three Oscars to his name, announced his retirement in 2017, months before his final film, Phantom Thread. Similarly, Anne Marie McEvoy, known for her role as “popular girl” Kathy Santon on Full House, has left Hollywood to become a professor.
McEvoy, who gained fame on the hit ABC sitcom created by Jeff Franklin, recently joined the podcast How Rude, Tanneritos! with co-stars Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber. The 48-year-old reflected on her time on the show and revealed that she never intended to stay in Hollywood. “I didn’t do it because I wanted to be an actress at all,” McEvoy admitted. She joined the show primarily to earn money for college, stating, “It was a job to get money for college.”
McEvoy was always clear about her career goals. “I was always going to leave Hollywood. I never had a thought that I was going to stay.” She explained that fame and showbiz were never her aspirations. “Everybody wants to be famous, don’t they?” she mused, adding that her true ambition was to be a mother and a professor. “I really wanted to be a mom. I wanted to have a PhD. I wanted to be a professor.”
Despite the surprise from some who thought her decision to leave Hollywood was a joke, McEvoy is content with her new path. She acknowledged that her time on Full House provided valuable insights. “I studied adolescent development and taught classes on it,” she shared. She even teaches a course using examples from the show to discuss adolescent issues such as sexuality, drinking, and family dynamics.
The actor also shared that people eventually recognized her in class. “People would find out and quietly after class,” she told Sweetin and Barber. She recalled students asking, “I was watching TV last night, and I saw you. Was that you on Full House?” Her typical response was, “You have an exam tomorrow. What are you doing watching TV?” She added with a laugh that once her secret was out early in the semester, it was hard to focus on anything else, so she decided to embrace it.
Though she never planned to stay in Hollywood forever, McEvoy took her acting job seriously. “You go in. You do your best and then you really wanna get better at it,” she shared. Surprisingly, McEvoy reprised her role as Santoni in a 2016 episode of the Netflix reboot Fuller House, despite her initial reluctance, crediting her daughter for her return.
The actor-turned-professor holds a PhD in developmental and educational psychology from the University of California and currently works as an assistant professor of education there.
