When we look back on Full House , it’s nothing but good memories. That show was an instant classic. But there was something darker going on behind the scenes that not many of us were aware of.
John Stamos’ drinking habits were spiralling to the point where he felt compelled to ask for help — and who better to ask than his old (and new Fuller House ) co-star, who herself, knew exactly what he was going through?
RELATED STORIES
When John and Jodie first started working together on “Full House,” Jodie was just a young girl.
I’m sure he never imagined that one day he would be coming to her to help get his life back on track.
On Thursday night at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, John presented Jodie with the Writers in Treatment’s Experience, Strength and Hope Award, for her memoir “Unsweetined.”
Side note: That is the most amazing title she could have ever used for an unfiltered memoir.
As he presented the award to her, he got weepy— telling the story of how she helped him get sober.
He said that about four years ago, he hit “rock bottom.”
But thankfully, he was able to turn to Jodie, who was going on almost eight years of sobriety herself.
“It took me a long time, a long time disappointing everyone who cared about me, culminating in a terrible DUI where I could have killed somebody,” he said .
“I hit rock bottom. Jodie lovingly allowed me to walk my own path.”
“When I finally humbled myself to ask for your help, I realized that the perky little blabbermouth had become the master of wisdom and was right by my side during some of the most difficult days of my life.” he continued .
Jodie organized a 12-step program for John, acting as his sponsor.
The pair had meetings at his house, and often on the set of Fuller House .
“Thank god, my wife and my new son will only know me as a sober husband and father.”
“This is Jodie’s legacy in my life,” he added.
Jodie returned the love by saying how proud she is of how far John has come in his journey.
“John, I’m so proud of you and it’s been the greatest thing to watch someone that you love have the light come back on again,” she said .
In an interview on “The Stern Show” in 2016, John opened up in more detail about his addiction.
Earlier that year he was arrested for a DUI, and checked himself into a treatment center because of it.
“I coulda hurt somebody…It was really stupid and ignorant of me. I hated myself for that,” he said .
He told Howard that in his late 20’s, in the thick of his alcoholism, he impregnated a “mystery” woman.
And while they “mutually” decided not to keep the baby, he believes that today, children are the only thing missing in his life.
He said spending a month in rehab made him feel “even,”
He revealed that he is clean of all the substances he was formerly abusing, and feeling much better.
He also admitted that before checking into rehab and getting himself back on the straight and narrow, his life wasn’t looking so great in other areas either.
He said that he believes that after his father’s death is where things in his life took a turn for the worse.
“My father passed away and I got divorced…it sent me sort of down a wrong path,” he said.
After getting divorced from his first wife, Rebecca Romijn, he said that he struggled to start dating again.
He said that he felt afraid of being turned down.
Although, he admitted that that has rarely happened to him in the past.
Why am I not surprised?
So, it looks like Jodie was able to step in at the perfect time, and give John the help he was needing.
John was surely reaching an impasse that would be very difficult to come back from, if he kept on the path he was on.
Nowadays, John is looking happier than he’s ever been. He is now married to Caitlin McHugh, and they’ve just recently welcomed their first child, Billy, into the world.
And if ever he’s feeling like he needs a drink, he can always lean on Jodie, whom he sees everyday on the set of Fuller House , for support.
