John Stamos has shared what his former co-stars, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, said at the late Bob Saget’s funeral.
The actor, 60, opened up about the Olsen twins’ relationship with Saget, who died in January 2022, during a recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show. From 1987 to 1995, the Olsen sisters starred in Full House as Michelle Tanner, who was the daughter of Danny Tanner – portrayed by Saget. Stamos also starred in the show as Michelle’s uncle, Jesse Katsopolis.
During the conversation with Howard Stern, Stamos went on to praise the sisters, who are notoriously private, for making an appearance at the funeral.
“They came to Bob’s funeral, and it was so beautiful,” he said. “We all needed it.” After telling Stern that the twins didn’t speak at the funeral, Stamos specified that they still got the entire cast of Full House together to discuss how meaningful it was to work with the actors.
“They got us all together and said: ‘We love you. We loved our childhood. We’re grateful for you guys, we thank you for making those eight years so beautiful for us. We have such fond memories. We love you, love you,’” he recalled to Stern. “And everybody just needed to hear that. I think it was Bob doing it.”
On 9 January 2022, Saget was found dead in his hotel room in Orlando, Florida, with a medical report concluding that he died of accidental trauma to the head. The following month, investigators into Saget’s death said there were no signs of drug use or alcohol. The Medical Examiner’s office also suggested that the comedian had “accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it, and went to sleep”.
Following the news of his passing, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen issued a joint statement, in which they reflected on their relationship with Saget and expressed their condolences to his family.
“Bob was the most loving, compassionate and generous man,” they said in the statement, which was obtained by Today. “We are deeply saddened that he is no longer with us but know that he will continue to be by our side to guide us as gracefully as he always has. We are thinking of his daughters, wife and family and are sending our condolences.”
In January 2022, Stamos also issued a statement on X – formerly known as Twitter – about his former co-worker’s death. “I am broken. I am gutted. I am in complete and utter shock,” the Fuller House star wrote. “I will never ever have another friend like him. I love you so much Bobby.”
In his new memoir, If You Would Have Told Me, Stamos also opened up about the immense feelings of grief he felt after Saget died. He recalled in an excerpt of the book, shared by Entertainment Weekly, that he and his Full House co-stars were in mourning, along with “millions” of fans.
“He’s America’s favourite dad to a generation of kids. Before YouTube, he was the guy that riffed on your family’s grainy VHS videos. He’s the filthiest comedian of all time to the aristocrats out there. He’d read the corniest copy with devilish intelligence and tells the most salacious story with purity,” he wrote. “It’s impossible to capture the spirit of a guy who belongs to everyone. I don’t have exclusive rights, but the loss is personal, painful, and beyond belief.”
Elsewhere in the memoir, he went on to confess that he was “still not ready to accept” that Saget was gone and that he was “not sure [if he] ever” would be able to. However, he acknowledged that he still thinks about the happy memories of his friend’s comedy career, and said he has imagined that Saget is “still on the road, doing what he loves”.
“He’s standing onstage, killing. Another two-hour set in front of a couple hundred of the luckiest people on the planet,” Stamos wrote. “They’re laughing so hard they weep. And just when they catch their breath, he grabs his guitar and slays with one of his musical closers. There’s an encore, and another, and another. Everyone wants an encore with Bob.”
