Bob Saget ; John Stamos Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
John Stamos celebrated his friend and former costar Bob Saget on the late comedian’s birthday with a photo of the Full House cast that included Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen.
“Happy Birthday Bob,” Stamos, 60, wrote via Instagram on Friday, May 17, alongside a black and white photo of the Full House cast posing behind a large sculpture of Disney’s Dumbo, on what would have been Saget’s 68th birthday. “This was taken as we gathered for his funeral. Though Bob wasn’t there physically, his spirit was unmistakably present, wrapping us in warmth and shared memories that drew both laughter and tears.”
Along with Stamos, Full House alums featured in the pic include Scott Weinger, Jodie Sweetin, Candace Cameron Bure, Dave Coulier and series creator Jeff Franklin (who created both Full House and its Netflix sequel series, Fuller House). Twins Mary-Kate and Ashley, 37, made a rare appearance as well, posing with their former castmates. The photo, which was taken in Stamos’ home, was credited to comedian Jeff Ross.
“That day, each of us felt the weight of his absence and the strength of the bond he nurtured among us,” Stamos, who played Uncle Jesse on Full House opposite Saget’s Danny Tanner from 1987 to 1995, wrote in his caption. “Bob was the heart of our ‘Full House’ family. His legacy of kindness and compassion was evident in the faces around me, (on Dumbo) in the gentle ways we supported one another, echoing the love he always extended. We celebrated a life that was a true gift to us all.”
He concluded, “Bob, you are with us in every joke we share and every hug we give. Rest in peace, dear friend. Your family misses you more than words can say. 💔.”
Saget passed away on January 9, 2022, at the age of 65, after being found unresponsive in his hotel room in Orlando, after doing a stand-up show one day prior. A month later, authorities determined that Saget had died from blunt force trauma to the head.
“They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved,” Saget’s family told Us Weekly in a February 2022 statement.
As for the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, both 37, shared the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House. While most of the cast returned for the Fuller House reboot, the retired actresses (who have since become fashion designers) declined to reprise their role as a now-grown-up Michelle, which Stamos previously admitted made him “angry.”
Stylish sisters! Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen will always be our favorite twins to draw fashion inspiration from. The California natives first stole our hearts in 1987 when they made their debut playing Michelle Tanner in Full House when they were just nine months old. The sitcom had a strong eight seasons before concluding in 1995. […]
“When I did Fuller House, they didn’t want to come back and I was angry for a minute and that got out,” he said during a May 2023 episode of the “And That’s What You REALLY Missed” podcast. However, they reconnected following Saget’s death.
“They said ‘We loved you guys, we loved our childhood. We loved being with you. We miss Bob.’ They came over to my house and they brought a pork chop and sage,” Stamos said on the podcast.
In a statement to Us Weekly on January 10, 2022, just one day after Saget’s shocking death, the Olsens remembered their TV dad as “the most loving, compassionate and generous man.”
Their statement continued, “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.”