John Stamos has been the subject of fierce criticism after he shared a picture wearing a bald cap in support of his Full House co-star Dave Coulier, who recently revealed his cancer diagnosis.
In new photos shared online, Stamos posed alongside Coulier wearing a bald cap. In one slide, the pair smiled together, and in another, Stamos was helping the actor shave his head.
“Nothing like throwing on a bald cap and flexing some Photoshop skills to show some love and solidarity with my bro @dcoulier,” Stamos wrote in the caption.
He continued: “You’re handling this with so much strength and positivity – it’s inspiring. 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.”
While the decision to wear a bald cap was intended as a gesture of solidarity as Coulier undergoes chemotherapy, it has been met with mixed reactions online.
“Is this really appropriate? A bald cap is showing solidarity? You can just take your cap off and be ‘normal’ again. When people take this route they actually shave their head,” said one person on Instagram.
Another added: “This is the dumbest thing I’ve seen ‘threw on a bald cap in solidarity’”.
“Hate to be that person but this is more insulting by putting on a bald cap then not shaving ur head. A person with cancer doesn’t have a ‘cap’ they can take off,” said one fan.
Others saw the more sentimental side of the gesture, with one person writing: “Awwww this is so cute … also, to anyone in the comments.. if Dave isn’t offended by this, you shouldn’t be either.”
Coulier, best known for his role as Joey Gladstone in the ABC sitcom, recently announced he has been diagnosed with aggressive stage three non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The comedian told fans he received his diagnosis in October after dealing with an upper respiratory infection caused by major swelling in his lymph nodes.
The actor is currently receiving chemotherapy and preemptively decided to shave his head.
Speaking about this diagnosis, Coulier told People: “My doctors called me back, and they said, ‘We wish we had better news for you, but you have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and it’s called B cell, and it’s very aggressive.”
“I went from, I got a little bit of a head cold to I have cancer, and it was pretty overwhelming,” he added. “This has been a really fast roller-coaster ride of a journey.”
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body. According to the NHS, in the UK, more than 13,000 people are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma each year.
