John Stamos stopped by his friend Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show recently to promote his TV show Grandfathered and ended up coming clean about a lot. John, who says, “I really don’t have anything to hide anymore,” spoke about his drinking, DUI, his parent’s deaths, rehab and currently being free of all addictions. Last June, John was stopped in Beverly Hills after several motorists called about his erratic driving. He was taken to Cedars Sinai because the officers suspected a medical condition but arrested him at the hospital when they discovered no condition and that he was under the influence of alcohol and medication. It’s wasn’t a secret that John liked to have a good time. When you live in LA, you are likely only about two degrees from someone who partied with him somewhere but I never heard anything bad; excessive, but not bad. Until the DUI, which is always bad. Apparently, he turned a dark corner a while back and lost control. Fortunately, he also sounds like he found his way back:
“I could stop [drinking] on a dime. I could stop. In the times that I went back, it just sort of deteriorated my life, and who I was, and my morals and my values. I lost myself, I lost my sense of discipline, which my dad taught me so well, and I just became someone – more and more I was just dipping into that dark place. It happened more and more and it just got darker and darker,” Stamos said. “It stunted my growth. Emotionally – maybe I would be married with kids right now.”
“I had a horrific DUI, which I am so embarrassed by,” he continued. “I could have hurt somebody, it was really stupid and ignorant of me. And I hated myself for that. It was a bad, bad thing. So I said to myself, I have to stop this up and down, up and down, I have to.”
Stamos entered a 30-day substance abuse program in July.
“I walked in those doors, I said, ‘Tell me what to do,’ ” he said. “I’ll do anything I can – and if it doesn’t work after the time, then it didn’t work, but I’m going to apply myself a hundred percent to it. Which I haven’t over the years.”
John earnestly mentions “just bad timing” when he got a girl pregnant in his twenties and their “mutual decision” not to keep it. He speaks of his father’s death around the time he divorced and how he almost developed a co-dependent relationship with his mother as a result. Her subsequent death really sent him reeling. Stern and John know each other well and Stern admits he was concerned about John and his drinking. At one point, it feels like you’re eavesdropping on them in Stern’s living room.
Teasing, Stern gets him to admit to having sex tapes but John states that he has the video and keeps them on his hard drive in his safe, so I suggest you be careful when selecting home movies to watch with him. Stern mentions an evening in which he and John were hanging out with Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness. Who cares what they were doing, just take a moment with that. Wouldn’t you just?
In lighter John news, he spoke about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen turning down the chance to reprise their shared role of Michelle Tanner in the spin-off Fuller House. As they declined because they are not actresses anymore, the Fuller House higher-ups thumbed through their Yellow Pages for “Actresses Named Olsen” and decided to call Elizabeth Olsen to fill in for her sisters. Shockingly, Elizabeth’s manager said “no,” most likely while laughing, and all our dreams were crushed.
photos courtesy of WENN and Getty Images
I hope rehab worked for him. It sounds like he was dangerous to himself and others.
Sounded like he had regrets about not having kids with Rebecca Romijn.
Does anybody remember what happened with them? I think he was always good with the kids on set. I’m surprised he doesn’t have any of his own.
He may have cheated and struggled with depression/substance abuse and she was super duper controlling. Factor in the kids of her wanting and him not so much and that was it. Jerry has mentioned (lovingly) she is very hig strung and very controlling. And here Stamos is admitting his struggles too. So, it’s not a stretch to believe it at this point with much behavior being confirmed.
He seems sincere. Drunk driving is as lethal as a gun and I think the statement about not wanting to hurt anyone was somewhat out of context as opposed to cavalier. It seems he looked the demon in the eye and decided to destroy it. I wish him nothing but the best of luck and hope he stays sober.
Have a lot of respect for his “I could have hurt someone” perspective. A lot of celebrities would probably focus on the damage to their reputation. He’s thinking about the only issue of drunk driving that matters – it’s dangerous.
I was about ready to write him off, but this level of awareness is good.
i would be very happy if Howard Stern disappeared to an island and took his equally loser friends with him.
Only desperate and controversial people go on his show.
I love Howard and his interviews.
I can understand someone not liking Stern, but as for his guests, maybe you are thinking of his guests like 15 years ago.
For years now, his guest list is hardly made up of desperate folks. In later part of 2015 alone he’s had guests like J.J. Abrahms (director of the biggest grossing movie in history), Tina Fey, Bree Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Bradley Cooper, Sir Patrick Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Ellen, etc.
Well said!
I started listening right around 15 years ago and when I hear clips from before then, I just can’t! Love Howard. Nothing else makes me laugh quite as hard and boy, is that a gift.
THIS mia girl!
He has an image he plays up. And his earlier career had more controversial stuff where now it’s fairly minimal.
Youu do have to be aware of the content. Radio taboo topics will be there, but many times done well without a very crude factor.
Maya
As Stern is outside of his radio persona he’s by ALL accounts incredibly sweet and down to earth. His wife does much for no kill shelters and animal rescue.
It’s unfair to be judged by a character you play.
Exactly. LOVE me some Stern.
Oh I loved Howard before he went to Sirius. That early in the morning, it felt like a little family. My gf’s would constantly tell me how horrible he was and I said you just don’t get it. He has a wife and three daughters. I was very young on 9/11 and that man took me through it step by step better than any news program. I could go on and on. Jackie the Jokeman, Fafafooie, Stuttering John, Fred……the glory days. He made my morning commute bearable. OMG Robin Ophelia!
I love Howard and he really is such a great interviewer. I would have loved to be at that dinner.
Agreed. Howard is GREAT
This is good to hear. The amount of times I hear people laughing about the time “I was soooo drunk omg I shouldn’t have been driving hahahah” just sickens me. It’s insane that people act like its a normal life “whoopsie”, and that it’s something to laugh about later, almost like a kid who got away with stealing candy or something else harmless.
What he should have said is that he could have KILLED someone. Someone innocent just driving home to their family, perhaps. But the fact that he’s speaking about it seriously is a good thing.
Drunk driving is a disgusting choice to make. I’ve never ever driven when even slightly buzzed. It’s not that hard to accomplish. It’s not that hard to NOT risk the lives of everyone else on the road because you are having a wild night and don’t know how to act like a decent adult.
OK rant over.
Want a cookie?
Feeling guilty?
Thank you. I 100% agree with you. I feel like I know more and more actual adults who drink and drive and then laugh it off. Or take a “roadie” with them. These are people in their mid to late twenties and older. I absolutely cannot understand it.
Agree.
Not in the least bit. But I don’t go around spewing how great I am at everyone either. People make mistakes. God complexes are not cute.
Want a cookie?
It’s kind of hilarious that you would consider making a decision to never drunk drive (which I said in my original post isn’t even hard so I wasn’t exactly singing my own praises) is in any way a God complex.
Ya need ta chill, friend.
I can’t believe how much healthier Elizabeth Olsen looks compared to her sisters.
Except she looks like a lab technician in that pic. Honestly if she has a stylist she needs to fire them stat.
Yes it really was a stupid thing to do. I’ve read where he said kicking the sleeping drug Ambian was the hardest thing he ever had to stop. I tried it once and had the worst sleep of my life plus a sleeping pill hangover. Never took another one. I don’t know why but I love this guy and I am really liking Grandfathered.
In addition to being safer, I hope he’ll be a nicer person, too.