90s TV star diagnosed with stage 3 cancer: ‘It scares the living daylights out of you’

A beloved ’90s TV star has been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer.

Dave Coulier, best known for playing Joey Gladstone on “Full House,” revealed Wednesday that he was diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma last month. The cancer in the blood was discovered after he contracted a respiratory infection that caused large swellings in his lymph nodes, leading to a lump in his groin. When the doctors removed it, a biopsy showed it was cancer.

“(M)y 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,'” shared the actor and stand-up comedian. People magazine. “I went from, I got a little bit of a cold to having cancer and it was pretty overwhelming.”

Coulier, 65, played a comedian known for jokes like “Cut. It. Out” and a ventriloquist routine with a beaver named Mr. Woodchuck in the 90s TV show and its sequel series “Fuller House”. He also dated Alanis Morissette before the release of her hit song “You Oughta Know” and has voiced characters on “Muppet Babies,” “The Real Ghostbusters,” “Robot Chicken” and “American Dad!”

Coulier told NBC’s “Today” show that he is trying to maintain a sense of humor throughout his health battle.

“My joke is that in four short weeks I’ve gone from a virgin to a cancer,” he said. “I’ve tried to keep a sense of reality but also a sense of humor about it.”

According to American Cancer SocietyNon-Hodgkin’s lymphoma develops in white blood cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body’s immune system. More than 80,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease each year, and that five-year relative survival rate is 74%.

“It’s very treatable,” Coulier said, noting that his particular cancer has not spread to his bone marrow and can have a cure rate of over 90%.

Coulier said he has already started chemotherapy and is expected to have six rounds over the next few months. Doctors told him and his wife Melissa that he could expect “total remission” after February 2025.

“You hear ‘chemo,’ and it scares the living daylights out of you,” Coulier told NBC. “The first round was quite intense because you don’t know what to expect. You don’t know how you want to feel. Will it hit me right away? Is it going to be devastating? Shall I leave here?”

“It has been a bit of a roller coaster. There (are) days when I feel incredible,” he added. “Then there are other days where … I just want to lay down and let this be what it is.”

Coulier, who said he lost his mother and sister to cancer, said he opened up about his diagnosis to encourage others to get screened to help detect the presence of cancer.

He also said he has a lot to look forward to, including becoming a grandfather when his son welcomes his first child, seeing longtime friend John Stamos later this week and continuing to record episodes of the “Full House Rewind” podcast . Coulier and Stamos starred together on “Full House,” which originally ran from 1987 to 1995 with a cast that included Bob Saget, Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Lori Loughlin, Andrea Barber and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.