Dave Coulier is speaking out after his longtime friend and former co-star John Stamos received backlash for wearing a bald cap while shaving his head.
In November, the “Full House” stars got together to share a few laughs after Coulier publicly revealed his Stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis.
During their get together, Stamos put on a bald cap to help shave Coulier’s head as he continues his chemotherapy treatments.
The bald cap was meant to bring levity to a heavy situation, but some of their social media followers found fault with Stamos’ gesture and let him know it in the comment section.
Now, Coulier is speaking out after seeing the negativity.
“I’m sorry to see a bunch of negative comments as I’ve just begun my cancer journey,” Coulier began his statement. “It’s our friendship (me and John) and this is how we are handling a very tough time. 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 – being a true loving friend and brother,” Coulier continued. “I have heard from so many people who have been inspired enough by my words and actions to say that they are going to check in with their doctors and get mammograms, a colonoscopy or a prostate exam.”
“I’m still going to laugh in the face of adversity. When I lost my sister, Sharon, my mother, Arlen, and my niece, Shannon to cancer, we tried to stay positive, and we made each other laugh through the worst of it. So, I’m choosing to spread the word about early cancer detection to help people. That’s just who I am. I wish nothing but love for all of you,” he concluded.
In the comment section of Coulier’s statement, Stamos’ wife, Caitlin McHugh Stamos, shared a few words of her own as well.
“I really hope the people who chose to say cruel things about my husband—who flew across the country and did what he could do bring joy to his friend going through chemo—look inward. Instead of tearing down others, take that time to think about how you can bring joy to the people you love.”
Stamos and Coulier’s fellow “Full House” co-star Andrea Barber, who played Kimmie Gibbler, followed suit, “The criticisms say more about the criticizers than anything else. They clearly don’t understand the incredible friendship between John and Dave, which is nothing but pure love.”
And Bob Saget’s widow, Kelly Rizzo, also shared a few words, saying she knows Saget would have been right along side them.
“If people truly understood how much John loves Dave, then no one would say anything negative. I can only imagine Bob would’ve been right there next to you guys -helping and cracking jokes.”
In an interview with Today, Coulier revealed he was diagnosed with cancer after coming down with a cold that left his lymph nodes more swollen than they ever had been before.
“It swelled up immediately,” the 65-year-old told Today. “I thought, ‘Wow, I’m either really sick, or my body’s really reacting to something.’”
After visiting his doctor, and undergoing several tests, “(My doctors) said, ‘Hey, we wish we had better news, but you have non-Hodgkin lymphoma, B-cell lymphoma,’” Coulier shared. “It was a shock.”