John Stamos Responds to Criticism Over Dave Coulier’s 'Bald' Cancer Tribute

John Stamos Defends ‘Bald’ Tribute to Dave Coulier Amid Cancer Battle

November 21, 2024
By M Muzamil Shami

John Stamos is "shocked" by criticism surrounding his “bald cap” tribute to Dave Coulier, who is currently battling stage 3 cancer.

The actor and musician opened up about facing backlash while supporting his longtime friend and Full House co-star, Dave Coulier, who has been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In a conversation with TMZ, Stamos discussed the emotional journey and personal challenges he faced while visiting Coulier and showing his support.

“I flew across the country to be with my brother, right?” Stamos said in a video shared on November 21.

During his flight, however, Stamos received heartbreaking news about the passing of his lifelong friend, Mike Owen, who died suddenly of a heart attack.

“My best friend, since I was 11 years old, dies of a heart attack,” Stamos revealed. Despite the devastating loss, he remained focused on supporting Coulier. “I’m not going to show that to Dave. I mean, I told him, but I said that’s done, and cried privately,” Stamos continued.

To lift Coulier’s spirits, Stamos showed up wearing a bald cap in a lighthearted show of solidarity. Coulier had recently shaved his head due to cancer treatment, and Stamos explained, “He wanted me to come shave his head. I knew beforehand, so I brought the bald cap from the studio.” Stamos added, “We laughed so freaking hard.”

Although Stamos' gesture was meant to bring laughter and comfort, he was taken aback by the negative reactions online.

“I don’t look at stuff [online]. I swear, most of the time I don’t, but this one really hurt me mainly because I didn’t understand it,” Stamos admitted.

He further explained, “The point is, I’m embarrassed for people that waste time on this when all I was doing was cheering up a friend. And I’m sorry—I started to say 'I’m sorry,’ but I’m not sorry.”

Looking back on the visit, Stamos described it as a meaningful experience, saying, “He cried, we laughed, we watched old movies, and we told stories, and I brought videos. It just was a beautiful thing.” He humorously added, “We didn’t watch Full House though.”

Coulier also addressed the criticism, defending the humorous approach to a challenging situation. “I’m a comedian, and humor is what drives me. John knows how to cheer me up, and I laughed out loud when he arrived wearing a bald cap,” Coulier wrote in an Instagram post on November 19.