Full House star John Stamos shared a photo of his "solidarity" alongside co-star Dave Coulier's shaved head, after the latter revealed he was battling cancer.
update 11/19/2024 at 9:16 a.m. pt
Dave Coulier is coming out in support of his friend and Full House co-star after fans dragged John Stamos' show of "solidarity" by sporting a bald cap in a recent social media post after Coulier's cancer diagnosis.
"I'm sorry to see a bunch of negative comments as I've just begun my cancer journey," Coulier wrote in a new post shared Tuesday morning. "It's our friendship (me and John) and this is how we are handling a very tough time."
"I'm a comedian and humor is what drives me," he continued. "John knows how to cheer me up and I laughed out loud when he arrived wearing a bald cap - being a true loving friend and brother."
"I have heard from so many people who have been inspired enough by my words and actions to say that they are going to check in with their doctors and get mammograms, a colonoscopy or a prostate exam," he continued. "I'm still going to laugh in the face of adversity."
"When I lost my sister, Sharon, my mother, Arlen, and my niece, Shannon to cancer, we tried to stay positive, and we made each other laugh through the worst of it," he concluded his message. "So, I'm choosing to spread the word about early cancer detection to help people. That's just who I am. I wish nothing but love for all of you."
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Stamos was among the first to jump in, commenting simply, "❤️❤️❤️."
Other fans shared their support as well, with one commenting, "Wow unreal - people really don’t understand that everyone has a right to live and deal with things their own way - prayers and strength to you ❤️❤️❤️."
Another wrote, "Sorry that you have to deal with this negativity right now. Your friendship is built on the bond you share and your love for comedy, and he knows how to make you laugh. That’s what truly matters."
original story 11/19/2024 at 7:08 a.m. pt
John Stamos' attempt to share a moment of "solidarity" and support with his Full House co-star fell flat with many fans, as he praised a bald cap and Photoshop for his matching bald look with Dave Coulier.
In a carousel of images shared to his Instagram page, Stamos showed himself helping Coulier shave his head as he battles stage 3 non-Hodgkins' lymphoma.
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View Story"Nothing like throwing on a bald cap and flexing some Photoshop skills to show some love and solidarity with my bro," Stamos captioned his share, which didn't sit particularly well with some fans, who found the gesture lacking.
"This is the dumbest thing I've seen," commented one fan. "That's like saying I wear rags in the streets while pushing a cart in solidarity with the unhoused or something."
"God bless Dave 🙏🏻 but is this really appropriate? A bald cap is showing solidarity? You can just take your cap off and be 'normal' again," wrote another. "When people take this route they actually shave their head. I can't help but feel that you're using Dave's diagnoses as a way to make yourself more likeable."
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"What a shallow gesture! Couldn't even cut your hair off for your friend," agreed another commenter. "And you made sure to post it on Instagram to get those likes too."
"So he's not really supporting him. He's posing for a photo op," echoed another comment.
Nevertheless, there were those who were touched by Stamos' post, defending the actor. "I wish you guys would choose kindness especially in a situation like this," wrote one. "John is probably under contract and can't change his hair."
"Just please give him some grace, he's a human being," they added. "Dave knows that he loves him and he is there for him. bc he is physically there for him ... let's just quit being hateful please it’s so tiring. this comment section needs to be full of love and support."
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View StoryAnother emphasized, "As someone who has had cancer three times I NEVER wanted anyone to shave their head for me. I think this is great and hilarious and I'm sure Dave didn't really want him to shave his head."
While Coulier hasn't specifically commented one way or another to the post, it was shared to both of their pages, and they were both smiling. The carousel featured an image of the friends side-by-side, as well as one of Stamos appearing to shave the back of Coulier's head, and another of Stamos and Coulier's wife Melissa kissing his shorn head.
"You're handling this with so much strength and positivity -- it's inspiring," Stamos wrote in his caption. "I know you're going to get through this, and I’m proud to stand with you every step of the way. I love you (p.s. - @melissacoulier is the most wonderfulest - your true life line!)."
Their Full House co-star Candace Cameron Bure jumped into the comments with, "This is fantastic ❤️❤️❤️❤️"
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View StoryCoulier had previously shared with People that he told his Full House castmates about his diagnosis in a group text message including Stamos, Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber, Lori Loughlin, Scott Weinger, and series creator Jeff Franklin.
"I didn't want them to hear it from someone else, so I sent a text message out," he told the outlet, adding that he immediately got responses of love and support.
"It really is overwhelming the love that we have for each other," said Coulier. "We've been there for so many years for each other and it's pretty remarkable."
He'd also shared that Stamos had planned to be by his side this past week as he prepared to undergo his first chemo treatment. "He goes, 'If you want to just sleep, I'll just sit by you or if you want to listen to music or just talk, whatever,'" Coulier told People. "And I'm just like, 'Wow. That's like a brother. That's just truly a brother.'"
Coulier first announced he was battling cancer during an appearance on Today last week, where he described the news as "feeling like I got punched in the stomach."
The 65-year-old recalled that he learned about his diagnosis when an upper respiratory infection resulted in swelling in his lymph nodes. Coulier said the swelling became more severe, sharing that one area grew to the size of a golf ball. After he subsequently underwent PET and CT scans and a biopsy, he was told it was cancer.
He shared that his cancer had not moved beyond his lymphatic system and that he would be undergoing chemotherapy until February 2025. He further told People that his cancer went from "low" chance of being cured to the "90 percent range" after an encouraging bone marrow test that came back negative.
Appearing on his own Full House Rewind podcast this past Wednesday, Coulier said that he has "good days" and "bad days." He told his fans, "Some days are nauseous and dizzy, and then there’s other days where the steroids kick in, and I feel like I have a ton of energy."
He also shared that he plans to continue sharing his health journey. "I’m not going to try and hide anything. I would rather talk about it and open the discussion and inspire people," he said. You can watch that full episode below.