How John Stamos Has Remained Lori Loughlin’s Fierce Defender

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Lori Loughlin and John Stamos have a lasting friendship that spans four decades. Stamos, who played her husband on the show Full House, recently described her as a “saint” on the Good Guys podcast, saying you can truly know someone after knowing them for many years.

Stamos has supported Loughlin through difficult times, including her recent separation from husband Mossimo Giannulli. This came after both served prison sentences related to the 2019 college admissions scandal, where they were accused of fraudulently securing spots for their daughters, Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade, at the University of Southern California by falsely presenting them as crew recruits. Both Loughlin and Giannulli pleaded guilty to fraud charges in 2020 and received prison sentences of two and five months, respectively.

Stamos defended Loughlin, stating he doesn’t believe she was heavily involved in the scheme.

John Stamos expressed sadness over Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s separation after almost 28 years of marriage. Loughlin’s representative told People magazine they are currently living apart and taking a break, but haven’t filed for divorce. Stamos shared on a podcast that Loughlin is “devastated,” especially because she’s always been a good person, mother, and wife. He feels it’s unfair to see her family torn apart like this. Stamos also encouraged Loughlin to consider how her relationship with Giannulli has impacted her life and any challenges she’s faced.

Stamos didn’t reveal the specifics of why the couple broke up, but he said whatever happened deeply hurt his friend. He added that she had tolerated a lot from him over the years. However, Stamos was clear about his feelings toward Giannulli, stating he would never speak to him again, describing him as a terrible narcissist and someone who likely won’t change.

TopMob contacted representatives for both Giannulli’s clothing brand, G/FORE, and Loughlin, but neither provided a statement.

John Stamos has defended Lori Loughlin before, consistently supporting her after the college admissions scandal became public. He explained on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast in 2024 that Loughlin wasn’t the main person responsible. He described her as being in the background and unaware of what was happening.

Many fans believe John Stamos and Lori Loughlin became friends when she joined the cast of Full House in 1988, but their connection actually began earlier. Stamos revealed in a 2013 interview that they first met while working on soap operas. He even shared that they went on a date to Disneyland when they were teenagers, though a romantic relationship never developed.

Loughlin married Michael Burns in 1989 (they divorced in 1996) and later married Giannulli in 1997, while Stamos married Rebecca Romijn in 1998. Stamos, who finalized his divorce from Romijn in 2005 and married Caitlin McHugh in 2018, jokingly admitted that Loughlin might have been ‘the one that got away,’ while expressing respect for her and her family.

Despite being happily married to Caitlin and having a 7-year-old son named Billy, Stamos still considers Loughlin a close friend. They are neighbors and have occasionally been seen together at events and on social media, offering fans glimpses of their enduring bond.

You know, Lori Loughlin is still one of my closest friends, even now. I wrote about it in my book, If You Would Have Told Me – we’ve been through so much together, always supporting each other, no matter what life throws our way. She’s just…always been there.

To learn about more Full House stars, keep reading.

Many fans believe John Stamos and Lori Loughlin became friends when she joined the cast of Full House in 1988, but their connection actually started earlier. Stamos revealed in a 2013 interview that they first met while working on soap operas. He even shared that they went on a date to Disneyland when they were teenagers, though a romantic relationship never developed. Loughlin married Michael Burns in 1989 (they divorced in 1996) and later married Giannulli in 1997, while Stamos married Rebecca Romijn in 1998. Stamos, who is now married to Caitlin McHugh with whom he has a son named Billy, admitted that despite his happiness, Loughlin might have been ‘the one that got away.’ He clarified this was said with no disrespect to Loughlin’s family or current husband. Despite the timing, Stamos and Loughlin remain close friends and neighbors, and fans have occasionally seen glimpses of their bond on social media and at events.

John Stamos wrote in his 2023 memoir, If You Would Have Told Me, that Lori Loughlin remains a close friend. He shared that they’ve supported each other through difficult times and always been there for one another.

To learn about more Full House stars, keep reading.

Although Full House is remembered as a feel-good family comedy, creator Jeff Franklin initially planned to include more stand-up comedians alongside Dave Coulier, who played Joey Gladstone.

His initial idea was for a show called House of Comics, a funny series about three comedians sharing a house. However, when ABC indicated they preferred a show similar to Family Ties and The Cosby Show, he adjusted the concept.

Originally, Bob Saget was Franklin‘s top pick to play Danny Tanner, the father of three on the show. However, Saget was already committed to appearing on CBS’ The Morning Program, so John Posey played the role in the first pilot episode.

After Saget lost his job, Franklin hired Posey and gave him a role. Posey later appeared in popular TV shows including Seinfeld, ER, NCIS, and more recently, Teen Wolf and How to Get Away With Murder.

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE the backstory on Jesse! Originally, his brother-in-law’s name was Adam Cochran in the first draft of the pilot. But John Stamos, bless his heart, thought it just didn’t sound right, so they changed it to Jesse Cochran. And then, after the first season, he really started getting involved! He wanted to bring his Greek heritage into the show, so he had the last name changed to Kastopolis! They said Jesse had been using a stage name to sound more rock and roll – can you imagine? Like, Cochran wasn’t cool enough?! It’s just… perfection. I love how much John cared about making Jesse Jesse!

Oh my gosh, can you believe they had dozens of twin babies try out to play Michelle Tanner?! It’s insane! But the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley? They were perfect. Apparently, they were the only babies who didn’t cry once during the whole audition process! I mean, think about it – you can’t have a crying baby messing up every single take, right? It was destiny! They were just meant to be Michelle Tanner, and become the superstars we all know and love! I knew it even then!

Initially, Stamos wasn’t impressed with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. It turned out their calm audition was a bit of a surprise, as they actually cried quite a bit at first. He revealed in 2015 that they were even temporarily replaced with another set of red-haired twins, but those girls didn’t do much better, which allowed the Olsens to get the roles back. He confirmed the story, saying, “Yes, that was true.”

The producers of the show deliberately kept the fact that twins were playing Michelle Tanner a secret. From seasons two to seven, they did this by listing both actresses together in the opening credits as simply “Mary-Kate Ashley Olsen.” It wasn’t until the eighth and final season, when the twins had become very famous, that the credit was changed to “Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen.”

As Mary-Kate and Ashley grew older and became more distinguishable, the show’s producers thought about using just one of them – reportedly, they favored Mary-Kate to continue playing Michelle. Surprisingly, it was John Stamos who insisted they both keep their roles, not wanting either twin to be let go. It’s amazing how quickly things can change after just a few seasons.

He didn’t just connect with the twins; their younger sister, Elizabeth Olsen, also became good friends with the show’s cast. She often visited the set and even had a small role as “Girl with Flowers” in an episode from 1995.

If you watch the first season carefully, you’ll notice a funny detail: the mannequin in Joey’s room always wears the same shirt as Joey does in that scene. This running joke only lasted for one season, and it’s surprisingly consistent, making you wonder why Joey kept dressing the mannequin!

If you assumed Dave Coulier created his famous “Cut. It. Out!” phrase on his own, or that the Full House writers came up with it, you’d be wrong. Coulier has confessed he actually borrowed it directly from a friend.

Before the show, while performing comedy with his friend Mark Cendrowski, Cendrowski often played a charming character and would jokingly tell women in the audience, “You’re in love with me, now stop it!”

In a 2014 interview with Buzzfeed, Coulier explained that he knew a particular catchphrase was special. He told the person who originally said it that he planned to use it in the future, but was playfully told it couldn’t be stolen. Coulier ended up using the phrase as his signature bit on the Nickelodeon show Out of Control, and later brought it over to Full House, where it became a well-known part of his character.

Following a season three episode featuring the cast as adults, Dave Coulier married actress Jayne Modean, who played the grown-up Michelle on the show. They married in 1990 and had a son, Luc, that same year, but divorced in 1992.

Before her legal troubles, Lori Loughlin was famous for playing Aunt Becky on Full House. Interestingly, that wasn’t the original plan! She was initially only cast for six episodes in the second season as a love interest for Jesse. However, the producers were impressed by her connection with John Stamos and decided to keep her on the show, making her a long-term character.

According to Scott Weinger, who spoke with the Huffington Post in 2012, his character Steve was originally intended for just a single episode and wasn’t expected to become a recurring character later in the series.

He remembered being hired for a single episode of the show, where D.J. was supposed to be babysitting but wanted to go on a date and brought the kids along. Then, the producers decided they wanted to introduce a boyfriend for D.J. as a recurring character the following season, and they offered him the role. He was thrilled, of course.

Jodie Sweetin is the only main cast member of Full House who didn’t have to audition. After appearing on another show produced by Miller-Boyett, Valerie, producer Franklin was so impressed he offered her a role on Full House, believing she’d be a great fit.

Both Dave Coulier and Bob Saget brought personal experience to the storyline of Joey moving in with Danny. Coulier had actually stayed with Saget when he first visited Los Angeles in 1979, accepting an offer to sleep on his couch. However, unlike Joey, who famously never left, Coulier moved out after just three weeks.

Everyone knew Bob Saget’s comedy was much edgier than his clean-cut role on Full House. What many didn’t realize is that he was often getting into playful trouble on set, even when they weren’t filming, as he, John Stamos, and Dave Coulier constantly tried to make each other laugh.

We – me, Bob, and John – were always getting in trouble with the mothers, Coulier explained on Oprah: Where Are They Now in 2015. We didn’t know the other kids could watch us on monitors in their rooms backstage.

The male leads didn’t have much chemistry in the first season, so a trip to Las Vegas was planned during their break to help them connect. Unfortunately, Bob Saget, who was married at the time, couldn’t go, leaving John Stamos and Dave Coulier to make the trip together. They bonded so well that the writers started including Jesse and Joey in more scenes together, maximizing their on-screen time as a duo.

Throughout the show’s 193 episodes, just three actors – John Stamos, Dave Coulier, and Jodie Sweetin – appeared in every single one. Bob Saget would have been among them, but he wasn’t in the very first pilot episode.

Despite being set in the San Francisco Bay Area, Full House only actually filmed one episode in the city itself – the Season Eight episode “Comet’s Excellent Adventure,” which featured a city-wide search after the family dog, Comet, ran away. All other filming took place on a soundstage.

The script called for settings that couldn’t be realistically created on the show’s set in Burbank, so the actors traveled north for a few days to film on location.

The show filmed a special episode at Walt Disney World, and D.J. playfully imagined Steve as Aladdin. Interestingly, Dave Coulier, who played Steve, actually dressed up in Aladdin’s costume – a funny nod to the fact that he originally voiced Aladdin’s character in the 1992 animated movie.

Everyone knows Danny Tanner is a neat freak, but surprisingly, that wasn’t always the case. Looking back at the first season of the show, his obsession with cleanliness actually developed during the second season. In fact, there’s an early episode where Danny, Jesse, and Joey all need their moms to help them get their lives in order – a pretty big inconsistency!

Just like D.J. and Steve on the show, Candace Cameron Bure took Weinger to her real-life prom, too.

Just to clarify, the dog famous for playing Air Bud wasn’t actually the one who played Comet. While that dog made a cameo appearance in one episode to show off some basketball skills, another dog played Comet for the rest of the series.

When Full House was most popular, both Stephanie and Michelle starred in their own book series. Stephanie’s series had 33 books, while Michelle’s had 40. Later, a 14-book series called Full House Sisters focused on their relationship. Finally, a four-part series, Full House: Dear Michelle, was created around a fictional advice column Michelle wrote for her third-grade classmates.

Want to know how to say “You got it, dude!” in Russian? Back in 2006, the American show Full House was licensed to a Russian TV network, STS, along with other Warner Bros. programs, so they could create a Russian version. This adaptation, called Topsy-Turvy House, stayed fairly close to the original story but made adjustments for Russian culture. It first aired in 2009 and lasted for two seasons.

After ABC unexpectedly ended Full House in 1995 after eight seasons, there was a try to revive it on the new WB network. However, the plan failed when both John Stamos and Candace Cameron Bure declined to participate.

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2025-10-22 01:02