It’s hard to imagine now, knowing just how incredibly close John Stamos and Bob Saget became over the years, but the beloved Full House co-stars actually spent the beginning of their time together butting heads.
Looking back during a brand-new appearance on Bobby Bones Presents: The Bobbycast this week, Stamos opened up about the rocky start he and Saget had while filming the iconic family sitcom way back in the 90s. And while fans have long associated the cast with warmth, laughter, and lifelong friendships, it turns out those bonds took time to develop. A LOT of time!
Related: Dave Coulier Shares Emotional Voicemail Bob Saget Left Him Prior To His Death
Before cameras even started rolling, Stamos was thrilled about the opportunity to work alongside Saget and Dave Coulier because of their backgrounds in stand-up comedy. As someone who has long admired comedians, he explained why to show host Bobby Bones:
“I love stand-up comedy. I’m obsessed with stand-up comedy. I try to befriend any great comic out there. I can’t do it, but I’m fascinated by the structure, how you guys construct a joke — the science, the math behind the economy of words. I’m just fascinated by it. So, getting to work with those guys was incredible from that standpoint.”
But admiration didn’t immediately translate into harmony.
According to Stamos, he came onto Full House with a very different mindset than his co-stars. Having recently worked with sitcom legend Jack Klugman, Stamos was focused on performance, character, and making each scene as strong as possible.
Meanwhile, Saget and Coulier had another priority entirely. As he recalled:
“All they really cared about was making the crew laugh. I was coming from, I just did a show with Jack Klugman, who’s a famous sitcom guy, and so I was coming to it with more of an actor’s point of view of these scenes and trying to work these scenes. And the guys were just trying to make the guys, the crew, laugh and whatever that was about.”
That difference in approach apparently created real friction behind the scenes.
In fact, Stamos admitted:
“It was distracting for a lot of it, and we didn’t get along at all for the first couple of years.”
It’s a surprising revelation considering how inseparable they eventually became.
But… sometimes life’s biggest challenges have a way of changing everything. According to Stamos, the turning point came during the show’s third season, when devastating family health crises affected each of the three men around the same time.
He explained:
“Bob’s sister got scleroderma, which he spent the rest of his life advocating and raising money for this horrific disease. Dave’s sister got cancer, and my sister was diagnosed with a brain tumor. And so all of a sudden, we weren’t three guys on a show. We were three brothers grieving our sisters.”
That’s an incredibly powerful perspective, and one that puts their friendship into a completely different light. Shared heartbreak replaced professional disagreements, allowing them to see each other in a much deeper way. While Saget’s sister and Coulier’s sister sadly passed away, Stamos shared that his own sister survived her brain tumor diagnosis.
From there, everything changed. As Stamos reflected:
“We became really close then, and then we just realized that there was a lot to learn from each other, I think. And I had a lot to learn. I learned a lot from those guys.”
What started as tension eventually transformed into one of the entertainment world’s most genuine friendships. Stamos said:
“But then Bob, we just ended up being best friends. And then we were just there for each other through all the ups and downs of life — divorces and marriages. But I just loved him so dearly, and it was such a tragic loss.”
Those words carry even more weight after Saget’s sudden death in January 2022 at the age of 65.
Related: Bob Saget’s Widow Kelly Rizzo Addresses Criticism She Moved On Too Soon After Star’s Death!
And now, for Stamos, the loss remains deeply personal. Remembering the friend he eventually considered a brother, he shared:
“Just one day, in a blink of an eye, he was gone. He was so bombastic with his love. He would text you 50 times a day and then call you 20 times to make sure you got the text, and then leave a message. He was that kind of guy, so losing him has been… life is just not as funny.”
Wow.
Watch more (below):
Sending ALL the love and light — now and forever.
[Image via Adriana M. Barraza/MEGA/WENN]
