John Stamos says he didn’t expect to receive such backlash for supporting a friend.
On Tuesday, the “Full House” alum shared a photo on Instagram of himself wearing a bald cap with his former costar Dave Coulier, who announced last week that he was diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
While Stamos wrote in the post’s caption that there’s “Nothing like throwing on a bald cap” to “show some love and solidarity,” some people questioned why he hadn’t shown further solidarity by shaving his head.
Stamos told a TMZ reporter who spotted him at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday that he was “so shocked” by the negative response to his post.
“First I’ll say, I’m just embarrassed, and they’re embarrassing,” the actor said. “But when I started seeing this blowback, I’m just like, ‘What?’ I couldn’t figure it out. I still don’t know 100 percent.”
“What they should be doing instead of making silly little videos, or doing comments, they should call their doctor, make an appointment,” he continued. “I think that’s the whole point of this. It’s been Dave’s message.”
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Coulier shared his cancer diagnosis during an appearance last Wednesday on NBC’s “Today.” He said that he only found out he had the cancer after seeking treatment for a lump in his groin.
The star expressed hope that his announcement would spur people to get screened.
Coulier spoke up for Stamos on Tuesday.
“I’m sorry to see a bunch of negative comments as I’ve just begun my cancer journey,” he wrote on Instagram. “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, noting that his sister, mother and niece had all died from cancer — and that laughter was their only recourse during treatment.
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Stamos, who revealed Thursday that he had shaved Coulier’s head himself, explained that he’s starting a new acting project and couldn’t shave his own hair off. He added that he and his friend had a “beautiful” time, “watched old movies,” exchanged stories and cried and laughed together.
“I don’t look at stuff, I swear,” he told TMZ. “Most of the time I don’t. But this one really hurt me.”