Dave Coulier's Health Struggles Explained

Dave Coulier is the comedian and actor best known for his role as Joey Gladstone on "Full House." Coulier has been making headlines over the past year after he revealed he's been diagnosed with cancer. He has the full support of his family, including his wife, Melissa Bring, whom he married in 2014, and his friends; especially actor John Stamos, who has been keeping in touch with Coulier throughout his cancer journey. 

While Coulier may be used to doing stand up at comedy clubs around the country, the past several months have looked quite different for him. He's spent a lot of time at doctors offices, undergoing tests, treatments, and regular scans following his diagnoses — yes, plural. In late 2024, Coulier was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Then, in 2025, he received another devastating blow when doctors found another type of cancer, completely unrelated to his initial diagnosis. In December 2025, the actor revealed that he'd already started treatment for p16 squamous carcinoma, a cancer of the head and neck. As Coulier navigates these health struggles, fans have been sending him love, support, and, perhaps most importantly, prayers.

In November 2024, Dave Coulier shared the news of his first cancer diagnosis with the world. In an interview with People magazine, the actor said that he'd come down with an upper respiratory infection that led to swollen lymph nodes. As his lymph nodes continued to increase in size, his doctors advised a PET scan and a CT scan as well as a biopsy. "Three days later, my doctors called me back and they said, 'We wish we had better news for you, but you have non-Hodgkin lymphoma and it's called B cell and it's very aggressive,'" Coulier told People. "I went from, I got a little bit of a head cold to I have cancer, and it was pretty overwhelming."

Coulier's life changed in an instant, but with a treatment plan in place he was ready to take his cancer diagnosis head on. He promptly began chemotherapy treatments and was determined to remain strong and beat the cancer. "I lost my mom to breast cancer," he told People. "I lost my sister Sharon to breast cancer. She was 36 years old. I lost my niece, Shannon. She was 29 years old." This gave him courage to fight. "I saw what those women in my family went through, and I thought to myself, 'If I can be just 1/10th of a percent as strong as they were, then I'm going to be just fine.'"

Though Dave Coulier's B cell lymphoma is considered rare and "aggressive," he wasn't handed a death sentence. The reason? He underwent a bone marrow test that came back negative, which meant he didn't have cancer cells in his bone marrow. "At that point, my chances of curable went from something low to 90% range. And so that was a great day," Coulier told People. 

So, what is B cell lymphoma and what causes it? According to the Mayo Clinic, this type of cancer begins in the body's white blood cells and "attacks the skin." The cause of this particular type of cancer is unknown. "Cutaneous B-cell lymphoma happens when B lymphocytes develop changes in their DNA," per the Mayo Clinic. 

Despite the jarring news, Coulier stayed calm. "When I first got the news, I was stunned, of course, because I didn't expect it, and then reality settled in and I found myself remarkably calm with whatever the outcome was going to be. I don't know how to explain it, but there was an inner calm about all of it," he told People. 

Within two weeks of his first cancer diagnosis, Dave Coulier began treatment which included chemotherapy. He decided to shave his head, expecting to lose all of his hair as the course of his treatment progressed. On November 18, 2024, Coulier's longtime friend and "Full House" co-star John Stamos shared a photo of himself in a bald cap alongside a bald Coulier on Instagram. "Nothing like throwing on a bald cap and flexing some Photoshop skills to show some love and solidarity with my bro @dcoulier You're handling this with so much strength and positivity — it's inspiring. I know you're going to get through this, and I'm proud to stand with you every step of the way. I love you," Stamos captioned the post.

It was a rough go for Coulier, who experienced plenty of ups and downs. "The symptoms were getting worse and worse with each treatment," Coulier told Parade. "So neuropathy, which I hadn't experienced before, started to increase. Nausea started to increase. Dizziness started to increase. They call it chemo brain, where you're a bit foggy — that started to increase. My days of being able to get up and walk around and be active started to decrease," he added. By February 2025, Coulier had finished his chemo treatments.

One thing that Dave Coulier has said numerous times is that his cancer journey has been a "roller coaster." Like many cancer patients, Coulier experienced highs and lows throughout the course of treatment. On a January 2025 episode of his "Full House Rewind" podcast, Coulier spoke candidly about what he had been going through. "It's been kind of a roller coaster ride ... The side effects have side effects — and then you take a drug to counteract that and this and that. So it's this constant cocktail where your body is in fight or flight mode, and you're just trying to adjust to, like, 'Okay, how am I adjusting to steroids? How am I adjusting to the chemo cocktail? And then, how am I adjusting to all these other things?"

When chatting with People magazine to share his initial diagnosis, Coulier used the same metaphor. "This has been a really fast roller coaster ride of a journey," he told the outlet at the time. 

Dave Coulier was very much looking forward to his final scans in the hopes that doctors would tell him his body was free of cancer cells. In his interview with Parade on February 26, 2025, Coulier said that he was waiting for his CAT scan results which would determine if his cancer would "be in the rearview mirror." Oncologists look at CT scans to determine a tumor's shape, size, and location. Comparing one CT scan to the next, doctors can see the progression of a tumor over the course of time, which can indicate whether or not treatment is working. Of course, those days spent waiting to get results can be nerve wracking, but many patients try to focus on how they feel. For Coulier, he began to notice a shift in his overall well-being.

While chatting with Parade, Coulier said that he was feeling better than he had in prior weeks. "I'll tell you this. Today is the first day that I really feel like, 'Wow, I'm feeling pretty darn good. I feel like myself.' And it's today," he said.

More than one month after Dave Coulier's interview with Parade, his friend John Stamos shared some big news with the world on Instagram. Coulier received the best news following his latest CT scan. "Dave Facetimed me with some wonderful news," Stamos said in the video. "I'm overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to share that my dear friend Dave has beaten cancer." Coulier popped up in the comments section to thank Stamos for his ongoing support. "Love you, my brother. Thank you for being there every step of the way through this extremely tough journey," he wrote.

After receiving the great news, Coulier moved to the next phase of his cancer journey which involved regular check-ups and scans to ensure that his cancer didn't return. Things were looking bright for the comedian who seemingly had a new lease on life after several months of battling the unknown. However, after a scan in October 2025, doctors noticed something peculiar. 

Dave Coulier received a devastating blow after a PET scan in October 2025. In an interview on Today (below), Coulier explained that "something flared" on the routine scan and doctors found that he had p16 squamous carcinoma at the base of his tongue. His oncologist explained that the cancer they was found was "totally unrelated" to the lymphoma that Coulier previously had.

The "Fuller House" star was started on treatment again, but this time it's 35 rounds of radiation which will be completed on December 31. Radiation is one way that doctors treat cancer, but there are different types of radiation treatment. With the ultimate goal being to rid the body of cancer, radiation works to kill cancer cells, shrink tumors, and relieve symptoms associated with the disease. Radiation can be used on its own or in conjunction with other treatments, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy. It appears as though Coulier will only need radiation treatment to get rid of the p16 squamous carcinoma.

So, what is p16 squamous carcinoma? Turns out, squamous cell carcinoma is a common type of skin cancer. In Dave Coulier's case, he has oropharyngeal tongue cancer, which gets its name from the location of the cancer — namely, in a patient's head or neck. The specific p16 protein in Coulier's cancer is an indirect marker for a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Coulier's doctors said his cancer was likely caused by the HPV virus, which isn't all that uncommon. The good news for Coulier is that this type of cancer is curable. "Prognosis is very good for p16 squamous carcinoma," Coulier said on Today. "It has a 90+ curability rate."

Coulier is grateful that both of his cancers were caught early. "Early detection saved my life, not just the first time but the second time as well. So I hope you're getting your check-ups ... Colonoscopies and breast exams and prostate exams, they will save your life," he said. When Coulier shared his first cancer diagnosis, he emphasized the importance of routine exams. "Take great care of yourself, because there's a lot to live for," he told People magazine in a message to fans.