John Stamos' Explosive Confession on 'Full House': The Shocking Truth Behind his On-Set Meltdown

John Stamos Kristina Bumphrey/Shutterstock

John Stamos, the actor known for his role as Uncle Jesse on the popular sitcom Full House, openly confesses that he had difficulties dealing with certain cast members, including Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who played the role of Michelle Tanner, and Jodie Sweetin, who portrayed Stephanie Tanner, throughout the show's successful eight-season run.

In a July 2023 installment of "Hot Ones," Stamos reminisced about his appearance on the show as "the main star," shortly after his notable role on General Hospital.

During the casting process, Stamos jokingly remarked, "They seem to be investing significant time in casting those kids who will only be in the background." He also confessed to feeling envious of the laughter Sweetin received during the initial table read.

During a scene, Stamos managed to get the Olsen twins fired temporarily when one of them couldn't stop "screaming."

"In April 2023, on Josh Peck's 'Good Guys' podcast, Stamos recounted a moment where he and Dave Coulier were changing the baby. While carrying her downstairs, I held onto her armpits, and Dave held her little feet," he shared. "We brought her into the kitchen, hosed her down, placed a fan on her, and wrapped her in paper towels. She was crying, and both of them, along with myself, wanted to be anywhere else but there."

However, these headline-making moments were far from the only time Stamos has discussed his Full House set struggles. Keep scrolling for more:

Uncle Jesse Calls ‘Bulls—t’ on Mary-Kate and Ashley

Content Stamos expressed his disappointment when the Olsen twins declined to revive their character, Michelle, on the Fuller House spinoff, which aired on Netflix from 2016 to 2020.

Stamos took to Twitter in 2015, stating, "I call bulls—t," after Mary-Kate and Ashley claimed that Stamos had not reached out to them about returning. However, in later years, he acknowledged his emotions and shared that he reconciled with the fashion designers after the passing of their co-star, Bob Saget.

"When I was working on Fuller House, they initially didn't want to return. This made me angry for a brief period of time, and that became public knowledge," he shared on a May 2023 episode of the "And That's What You REALLY Missed" podcast. "However, they later expressed their love for their childhood and the time they spent with me. They even came over to my house with a frozen pork chop and sage. I'm not sure why, but I appreciated the gesture. It helped us maintain a close bond."

Although they have patched things up, Stamos made a sly remark about Mary-Kate, explaining why he advised Peck not to approach her at Saget's funeral in January 2022.

"Mary-Kate, may God bless her, would have left you feeling disappointed," Stamos shared on Peck's "Good Guys" podcast. "Not just in that moment because of everything happening, but she would have also asked for a light for her cigarette, saying, 'Yeah, okay.'"

Nevertheless, Stamos did bring Peck to Mary-Kate, reminding her that they had both appeared in The Wackness together. "That made it even more awkward," Peck playfully remarked.

Ashley Olsen, John Stamos, Mary-Kate Olsen. Lorimar/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock

Wanting to Get Mary-Kate and Ashley Fired

After a particularly rough take with the Olsen twins — who were 11 months old at the time — Stamos was done.

"I expressed my doubts to the group, stating that the current approach was not feasible. I repeatedly emphasized this point, vocalizing it in a forceful manner on ten occasions. I then suggested that we remove the individuals causing the issue, as their presence hindered my productivity," he recounted during his appearance on the "Good Guys" podcast in April 2023. Consequently, the show followed my advice and replaced the young actresses with two red-headed children who, according to him, lacked physical appeal.

He humorously remarked, "I even went as far as comparing them unfavorably to the Olsen twins and insisted on their return, as the replacement kids performed poorly during our brief trial period."

(The Olsens returned and played Michelle throughout the OG show’s run.)

Lorimar/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock

Being Upstaged by Jodie

Stamos initially had it with Sweetin before realizing — in a very Tanner manner — what the heart of Full House was all about.

During an interview on "Hot Ones" in July 2023, Stamos reminisced about the time when Jodie Sweetin, who portrays Stephanie, delivered her lines that generated an uproar of laughter from the audience. Stunned by the overwhelming response, Stamos couldn't help but feel overshadowed, causing him to retreat in his seat, feeling insignificant. Desperate to escape the situation, he scrounged for quarters to urgently call his agent from a payphone, exclaiming his desperate plea to be released from the show. However, after much contemplation and a swallowing of pride, Stamos eventually came to the realization that being the star of the show wasn't a necessity for him.

“I fought it for a long time and I then I finally said, ‘What am I doing?’ … There was no central character on that show, I realized. The central character was love.”

John Stamos Had a ’Really Difficult’ Time on Set

During an interview with CBS Sunday Morning in October 2022, Stamos candidly discussed his challenges while working on the sitcom. "I won't sugarcoat it, it was incredibly tough. A large portion of it was. It just wasn't the path I envisioned for myself," he shared. "The critics were skeptical, predicting that the show wouldn't make it to Thanksgiving. But now, I genuinely take pride in it. I'm truly glad that I took part in that show."