John Stamos Wanted to Quit ‘Full House’ After Being Upstaged By Jodie Sweetin
Full House star John Stamos appeared on the latest episode of Hot Ones, where he admitted to being upstaged by his former child co-star to the point where he almost quit.
Stamos, who starred in the lead role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom, explained how Jodie Sweetin, who played Stephanie Tanner, stole the show during a table read.
“We did a table read of it, and I was the star. I was coming off of General Hospital… big shot, you know, that kind of thing,” the actor explained. “And we sit down, and we start reading. And Jodie Sweetin, who plays Stephanie, reads her lines, and people are dying laughing, I mean screaming. I was like, ‘What’s happening here?’”
Lorimer Telepictures / Courtesy: Everett Collection
This came as a shock to Stamos, who said that the show was initially pitched to him as a more singular focus on his character, similar to the Tom Hanks-starring Bosom Buddies. But he realized things were different during the casting process.
“As we’re casting it, I was like, ‘They’re spending a lot of time casting these kids that are going to be in the background,’” Stamos said with a laugh.
The realization fully hit him during the table read, where he recalled, “You couldn’t even hear my lines; they were laughing so hard at [Sweetin]. I was slinking down into my seat.”
He remembered running out to the lobby and calling his agent, where he told him, “Get me the f*** off this show!”
But Stamos later recognized how important the show was. “I fought it for a long time,” he stated. “And then I finally said, ‘What am I doing? It’s a beautiful show.’ We built it with sweetness and kindness. There was no central character on that show, is what I realized. The central character was love.”
In 2016, Stamos reprised his role as Jesse for Netflix’s revival Fuller House, which he also executive produced.
