Dave Coulier, ‘Full House’ star, reveals stage 3 cancer diagnosis

On November 13, 2024By Littum

Metro Detroit native Dave Coulier revealed Wednesday on NBC’s “Today” show that he is being treated for cancer.

The 65-year-old television icon, best known for his role as Uncle Joey on “Full House,” told “Today” anchor Hoda Kotb that he has stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He found out about the blood cancer after catching a cold and noticing a swelling in the groin area that quickly grew to a lump the size of a golf ball.

“Five weeks ago I was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. And in that time I’ve had three surgeries, I’ve had chemo, I’ve lost a little bit of hair,” he said on “Today.”

Coulier got some good news when a bone marrow test came back negative, he told People magazine. “At that point my chances of being cured went from somewhat low to 90%. So it was a great day.”

The actor, comedian, director and writer grew up in St. Clair Shores and moved back to Michigan in 2019 with his wife, Melissa. He appeared this weekend at the Motor City Comic Con in Novi.

Several members of his family have been exposed to cancer. “I lost my mother to breast cancer. I lost my sister Sharon to breast cancer. She was 36 years old. I lost my niece, Shannon. She was 29 years old, Coulier told People magazine, says that his older sister Karen is also dealing with cancer. “I saw what those women in my family were going through, and I thought to myself, ‘If I can be just 1/10 percent as strong as they were, I’ll be fine.’

Coulier, who has shaved his head as a precaution, described to People how he maintains a positive attitude and does things like ice skating with friends in Detroit. “We just went around skating and shooting pucks and it was wonderful just to be out there doing something I love and just trying to stay focused on all the great things I have in my life,” he said.

In August, Coulier presented the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation with a $125,000 check he won on ABC’s celebrity edition of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” An alum of Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods who attended the University of Michigan before leaving to focus on comedy, Coulier has always maintained close ties to Detroit and rooted for the city’s sports teams, particularly the Red Wings.

In 2021, an honorary “Dave Coulier Way” street sign was unveiled on Lange Street in St. Clair Shores, where he spent his childhood.

During his Comic Con appearance at Novi’s Suburban Collection Showplace, Coulier greeted fans and met “Successions” actor Alan Ruck, with whom he shares a Motor City bond, as WXYZ-TV (7 Action News) reported.

Both actors donned Red Wings jerseys for their best-known roles: Coulier as Uncle Joey in “Full House” and Ruck as melancholy Cameron in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at [email protected].