John Stamos initially despised Full House and even contemplated quitting the show due to his frustration with the lesser-known child actors stealing the spotlight. However, he eventually had a change of heart and grew to appreciate the show’s message and the unique family dynamic it portrayed. Stamos now recognizes the importance of love and kindness, which were the central characters of the series and is grateful for the legacy Full House has left behind.
Apparently, Uncle Jesse wanted to get evicted from Full House. On last week’s episode of Hot Ones, John Stamos revealed that he “hated” Full House at the beginning and had even threatened to quit the family sitcom, which ran on ABC from 1987 to 1995.
“Full House…I hated that show,” he said. Stamos told Hot One’s host Sean Evans that the series was initially pitched to him as a version of Bosom Buddies—the ’80s buddy sitcom starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari—featuring some children. Produced by Bosom Buddies creators Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, Full House would follow Bob Saget’s character, Danny Tanner, a widower who decides to raise his three daughters with his friends “Uncle Jesse” Katsopolis (Stamos) and Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier). “As we’re casting it, I was like, They’re spending a lot of time casting these kids that are gonna be in the background,” Stamos said.
It quickly became clear that the Tanner kids, played by Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and infants Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, were going to be a much larger part of the show, much to Stamos’s chagrin. “We did a table read of it, and I was the star, I was coming off General Hospital…and we sit down and we start reading, and Jodie Sweetin, who plays Stephanie, reads her lines and people are dying laughing—I mean, screaming,” Stamos recalled. “I was like, What’s happening here? … They couldn’t even hear my lines, they were laughing so hard at her. And I’m, like, slinking down in my seat.”
Stamos admitted that he felt like a “big shot” at the time and believed he was supposed to be “the star” of the series. After the table read, he recalled, he went to the lobby of the Century Plaza hotel and called his agents, telling them to “get me the fuck off this show!”
Eventually, Stamos came around on the sitcom, but not before trying to get the Olsen twins fired from the series. “I fought it for a long time,” he said. “And then I finally said, What am I doing? It’s a beautiful show we built with sweetness and kindness. There was no central character on that show, is what I realized. The central character was love, and we were the best representation of a loving family, not a normal family. And…the new normal was now an unconventional family.”
John Stamos, popularly known as Uncle Jesse from the hit sitcom Full House, recently revealed in an episode of Hot Ones that he initially loathed the show. Stamos confessed that he even contemplated quitting the series at the beginning because he despised it so much. Full House, which aired from 1987 to 1995 on ABC, became a beloved part of pop culture, but it seems Stamos didn’t feel the same way back then.
Stamos shared his dislike for Full House during a conversation with Hot One’s host Sean Evans. He revealed that the show was originally pitched to him as a version of the ’80s sitcom Bosom Buddies, which starred Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari. The idea was to have a buddy sitcom with children. The creators of Bosom Buddies, Thomas L. Miller, and Robert L. Boyett, produced Full House. The show revolved around Bob Saget’s character, Danny Tanner, a widower raising his three daughters with the help of his friends, Uncle Jesse (Stamos) and Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier). However, Stamos quickly realized that the focus of the show was going to be the Tanner kids.
During a table read of the pilot episode, Stamos, who was riding high on his success from the soap opera General Hospital, was shocked when Jodie Sweetin, who portrayed Stephanie Tanner, delivered her lines and left everyone in fits of laughter. Stamos felt overshadowed and overlooked. Despite considering himself the star of the show, it was evident that the comedic talents of the children were stealing the spotlight. This realization left Stamos feeling deflated and unsure of his place in the series.
At the time, Stamos believed he deserved to be the show’s central figure. Frustrated and disillusioned, he stormed out of the table read and immediately called his agents, demanding to be released from his contract. Stamos’s ego and desire to be the star had clouded his judgment.
Fortunately, Stamos eventually changed his tune and grew to appreciate the show. However, it wasn’t without some controversy. Stamos admitted that he had reservations about the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, who portrayed Michelle Tanner. He even attempted to get them fired from the show. However, after going through a personal transformation, Stamos realized the importance of the show’s message and the unconventional but loving representation of the family it portrayed.
In retrospect, Stamos acknowledges that he was too focused on being the star and failed to recognize the real essence of the show. Rather than a typical family sitcom, Full House was built on themes of love, kindness, and the unbreakable bond of an unconventional family. Stamos ultimately embraced this concept and is now proud of the legacy Full House left behind.