John Stamos has revealed he was sexually abused as a child, allegedly by a former babysitter.
In his forthcoming memoir, titled If You Would Have Told Me, the 60-year-old Full House actor alleges the abuse occurred when he was about 10 or 11 years old and that he didn’t tell anyone at the time.
“It was like you’re playing dead so they’ll stop. But it wasn’t totally aggressive … I don’t know, it was not good,” Stamos said in an interview with People magazine.
“I shouldn’t have had to deal with those feelings,” he added.
He said “it took me writing a book” to understand the gravity of the alleged incident.
“I mean, I knew, it was always in the back, and I do so much advocacy for the [survivors]. I felt like I remembered it slightly. It has always been there, but I packed it away as people do, right?” he said.
Stamos, who broke out in the 80s on soap opera General Hospital before a star-making turn in the sitcom Full House, said he had previously considered coming forward while writing an acceptance speech for an award given in recognition of his advocacy work for abused children.
“I started to write it, and that’s when it really came out,” he told People. “And then I thought, ‘No, tonight is not about me. It’s about the kids. I’m going to pack it away until the right moment … Otherwise, I’m a phoney fuck.”
The memoir, which comes out in the US next week, also reflects on a range of harrowing moments from Stamos’s life, including his alcoholism and DUI arrest as well as the death of his longtime friend and Full House co-star Bob Saget.
The abuse only covers “a page or something” in the memoir, he said. “I didn’t want the headlines to be that, and I didn’t want the book to be over that.”
Stamos has a five-year-old son, Billy, with his wife, the actor and model Caitlin McHugh Stamos. “I’ll tell you, if I found out someone was doing that to my son,” he said, “that’s a totally different story.”
• In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International
