The Full House family marked a pretty big milestone back in September, celebrating the 35th anniversary of the ABC sitcom’s premiere. But as the actors who portrayed the beloved Tanner family reflected on three and a half decades, they did so without a pretty integral member. Bob Saget died in January of a head trauma at the age of 65, and if it wasn’t well-known before how close the TV family remained over the years, it is now. Jodie Sweetin has been among the cast members sharing stories and memories of her TV dad, and she recently opened up about what it was like to mark such a big anniversary without him.
Jodie Sweetin was just 5 years old when she began playing middle sister Stephanie Tanner on the family comedy in 1987, which ran for eight seasons. Given how much growing up she did on the Full House set, it’s easy to see how she came to see her co-stars as family, making this milestone 35th anniversary bittersweet without their patriarch. Sweetin told ET:
Thirty-five is a big one. And whenever I think about 35 years I'm like, I've been alive longer than 35 years, which is terrifying. But it was a little bittersweet. We always like to celebrate these big milestones and every year we think that's one more year that we've all been this extended family. And so we definitely, definitely missed Bob, but we know he was with us. He's always right in the middle. He would never not be the center of attention, I love it.
It sounds like even though Bob Saget — who became affectionately known as “America’s dad” for his role as widower Danny Tanner — wasn’t there in body, his spirit was felt by his loved ones. Jodie Sweetin said as much when she marked the big day with some throwback photos on Instagram, noting that they wouldn’t be the family that they are without Saget:
That wasn’t the first time Bob Saget made his presence known on one of Jodie Sweetin’s big days. John Stamos (a.k.a. Uncle Jesse) shared a sweet story about Sweetin’s wedding day, in July, when he grabbed a random shirt from his closet as he ran out the door to her wedding to Mescal Wasilewski. Stamos said:
[I] put it on, and I’m driving, and it feels big. When I get there, I looked and I realized because Kelly [Rizzo], Bob’s wife, gave us a bunch of stuff, and it was Bob’s shirt… I started crying when I realized [and] I said ‘Jodie, Bob’s here.’
John Stamos has been vocal in how much his TV brother-in-law meant to him, even taking part in the post-funeral “punk rock shiva,” a tribute that was released on Netflix as Dirty Daddy: The Bob Saget Tribute. Stamos joined Jodie Sweetin, Candace Cameron Bure, Dave Coulier, Scott Weinger and others who showed Bob Saget some love on the Full House anniversary.
While Dave Coulier (Uncle Joey) has expressed interest in doing another Full House spinoff, John Stamos said it wouldn’t be the same without Bob Saget, and they’ll continue to honor the actor in other ways. There may not be another spinoff planned, but there is plenty to watch if you want to remember Bob Saget, including the entire Fuller House series, available with a Netflix subscription. Full House is available streaming with an HBO Max subscription.
