How Full House Cast Reacted to Dave Coulier’s Cancer Diagnosis

In an interview with PEOPLE, published on Wednesday, the actor revealed he was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in October.

The 65-year-old recalled that he learned about his diagnosis when an upper respiratory infection resulted in swelling in his lymph nodes. Coulier said the swelling became more severe, sharing that one area grew to the size of a golf ball. After he subsequently underwent PET and CT scans and a biopsy, he was told it was cancer.

“Three days later, my doctors called me back and they said, ‘We wish we had better news for you, but you have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and it’s called B cell and it’s very aggressive,'” he recalled.

“I went from, I got a little bit of a head cold to I have cancer, and it was pretty overwhelming,” he added. “This has been a really fast roller coaster ride of a journey.”

While speaking with PEOPLE, Coulier shared that he relayed the news of his diagnosis to his Full House costars in a group text message. According to the actor, the group chat included John Stamos, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber, Scott Weinger, Candace Cameron Bure, series creator Jeff Franklin, along with Lori Loughlin.

“I didn’t want them to hear it from someone else, so I sent a text message out,” he recalled, telling PEOPLE that the cast replied “immediate[ly]” and sent messages of support.

“It was just this outpouring of, ‘I will be there. You just name the time, and I know you’re in great hands with Mel, but what can we do?’ Coulier said. “It really is overwhelming the love that we have for each other. We’ve been there for so many years for each other and it’s pretty remarkable.”

As fans know, Coulier and his Full House costars have gone through tough times together in the past couple of years, leaning on each other in the wake of Bob Saget’s tragic passing. The late actor — who, of course, starred as Tanner family patriarch, Danny Tanner, died in January 2022 at the age of 65.

“I think we value not only our lives together, but we value our lives,” Coulier told PEOPLE. “We value those good times and the positive moments that we’ve gotten to share. And I think that that spills over to other people, and it’s just positive. There’s not many negatives when I’m with that group of people. It’s really just laughter and positivity, and we appreciate so much what we have in our lives and the people around us.”

Coulier revealed that Stamos, in particular, is planning on visiting him as he continues to undergo chemotherapy.

“I can’t wait for him to visit, Nov. 15, I get a chemo treatment. Nov. 16, John’s going to be here,” he shared. “He goes, ‘If you want to just sleep, I’ll just sit by you or if you want to listen to music or just talk, whatever.’ And I’m just like, ‘Wow. That’s like a brother. That’s just truly a brother.'”

Stamos also showed his support for Coulier on social media, sharing a heartwarming post on Instagram.

Alongside a series of photos of them together over the years, Stamos wrote, “My brother from day 1. Love you @dcoulier and I’ll be by your side through it all.”

Meanwhile, on Wednesday’s episode of his Full House Rewind podcast, Coulier discussed his diagnosis, and shared that he was watching the TV series for the first time, calling the show “video comfort food.”

“I never watched Full House,” he said, sharing that he now “understand[s]” why the show is so loved. “I get it. I understand why kids loved it so much, why families loved it so much, and why it’s become so cross-generational. It’s really got wonderful elements for kids and families.”

Coulier added that the show’s messages of doing the best you can and treating others with “love and respect” particularly resonated with him.

“I didn’t understand that so much when we were actually doing the show because it was so intense doing 192 episodes, but I get it now” he explained. “I can actually be so much more objective having a son going through family moments, going through raising a child. It just all makes sense to me. Now, I’m like, ‘Oh, now I see what was in the Kool-Aid. I get it.”

Full House ran for eight seasons from 1987 to 1995. It was followed by the sequel series Fuller House, which streamed on Netflix from 2016 to 2002.

While appearing on the Today show on Thursday, Coulier recalled how he first told his wife, Melissa, about the news, and how she reacted.

“I was just contemplating, ‘How do I tell her?'” he said. “When I told her, of course, she thought I was joking.”

Coulier — who married Melissa in 2014 — added that after his wife realized that he was not, in fact, making a joke, she “organized [his] entire life, from nutrition to the doctor’s appointments to the pills.”

While waiting for the results of a bone marrow sample to learn what stage of cancer he had, Coulier said already accepted the news — whatever it was going to be.

“I told Melissa I don’t know why, but I [am] OK with whatever the news [is] going to be no matter how devastating. …. I can’t explain where that came from,” he said. “I’ve had an incredible life. I’ve had the most amazing people in my life. This has been an extraordinary journey, and I’m OK if this is the end of the journey.”

Elsewhere in his interview with PEOPLE, Coulier also spoke about how his family has been a form of support for him amid his cancer journey. He also recalled that it was particularly difficult to tell his son Luc, 33, about his diagnosis, sharing that his son’s wife is pregnant — and he’s going to become a grandfather for the first time.

Coulier said Luc’s wife Alex is expecting a baby boy and is due in March, sharing that he’s set to finish his chemo treatments in February.

“There’s a lot to look forward to [in the next few months],” he said, noting that he’s excited to share his hobbies with his grandson, specifically aviation and hockey.

“You talk about an apple not falling far from the tree. My son Luc plays hockey three days a week. I used to take him up flying with me when he was a baby, and now he’s a pilot for FedEx,” Coulier said of Luc.