Dave Coulier And Alanis Morissette Had A Big Age Gap During Their Relationship
When Dave Coulier dated Alanis Morissette, he had much more life experience than the musician. Coulier was a famous actor, having starred in "Full House" since 1987, per IMDB. While aside from Canadian music fans, people didn't know much about Morissette. However, that changed after they split, and she became a household name, thanks to the release of "Jagged Little Pill" in 1995.
RadioX reports it was Morissette's third album but the first to be released worldwide. It was a smash hit, selling over 33 million copies, winning four Grammys, and spawning the iconic singles "You Oughta Know," "Hand In My Pocket," "You Learn," "Head Over Feet," and "Ironic." The latter kickstarted a debate over the meaning of "ironic" (and no, Alanis, it's not like rain on your wedding day). The first sparked speculation over who inspired the track. With the general consensus that it was her most recent ex, it had people asking what really happened between Morissette and Coulier?
According to Distractify, the couple first met in Canada in 1992. Fresh off of a divorce from his first wife, Jayne Modean, Coulier was playing in an all-star hockey game where Morissette sang the national anthem. They dated for two years before he ditched her in 1994. The lyrics of her classic breakup anthem indicate that the couple had a nasty end to their relationship. They also reference the fact that Dave Coulier and Alanis Morissette had a big age gap during their relationship.
Hurt and angst make for great music
The first hint that "You Oughta Know" is probably about Alanis Morissette and Dave Coulier's relationship comes in the opening when she references "an older version of me." Because Coulier and Morissette had a big age gap between them when they were dating — she was 18, and he was 33. The song was released a year after they split, and Coulier says he was horrified to realize he was the subject of the scathing break-up anthem.
"We dated, and she was writing all of that 'Jagged Little Pill' stuff during that time," he told SiriusXM's Faction Talk. Coulier said he had a come to Jesus moment when "You Oughta Know" came on the car radio. "I was like listening to the lyrics going, ooh, oh no. Oh, I can't be this guy," he admitted. "And I went to the record store, bought the CD, and I went, and I parked on the street, and I listened to the whole record."
The actor said he recognized "a lot of familiar stuff" in the lyrics, and that's when it really dawned on him. "I thought, ooh, I think I may have really hurt this woman," Coulier said. "What do you want me to say when people ask me about this relationship?" he asked Morissette when he saw her years later. "Whatever you want," she told him.
The OG break-up anthem queen
Despite inspiring Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know," Dave Coulier has nothing but praise for his ex. He told SiriusXM's "Faction Talk" that when his sister was "dying with cancer," Morissette drove from Toronto to Detroit with her guitar and then sat at his sister's hospital bedside and played songs for her. "That's the kind of human being she is, so I've never had anything bad to say about her," Coulier said. "She's lovely."
Meanwhile, Morissette still refuses to confirm the identity of "Mr. Duplicity." Andy Cohen pushed her to spill the tea but to no avail. "No revealing," she insisted, sharing that six different men have claimed credit for being the inspiration. "I just think, if you're going to take credit for a song where I'm singing about someone being a d***** or an a*******, you might not want to say, 'Hey! That's me!'" the singer joked.
Meanwhile, there's another Morissette song about an ex, but it's Ryan Reynolds this time — and actually, he inspired an entire album. InStyle reports that the two started dating in 2002. Reynolds even got down on one knee but never put a ring on it as the couple split in 2008, the same year "Flavors of Entanglement" was released. "It was cathartic," Morissette told Access about writing the Reynolds' inspired album. "Catharsis is good to get it out of my system, for me to see with some clarity what's going on," she continued.