Why You Don't Hear Much From Dave Coulier Anymore
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
After 1995 saw the end of "Full House," and before the "Fuller House" reboot hit Netflix in 2016, we didn't hear much about Dave Coulier, who played Uncle Joey Gladstone in both series. That original sitcom made him a highly recognizable figure in Hollywood throughout its eight-season run, and while the actor has certainly done work in that 20-something-year gap, he hasn't always been in the limelight. (Other than those longtime rumors about him supposedly being the muse for ex-girlfriend Alanis Morissette's banger of a single "You Outta Know.")
Following the tragic death of Bob Saget in January 2022, folks began talking more about the cast of "Full House," especially as they publicly mourned the loss of their beloved co-star. For his part, Coulier wrote on Instagram, "I met Bob when I was 18 years old. I didn't know then that two, struggling standup comics would end up being brothers forever. I wish I could lean on you right now through all these tears. I love you." In the comments section, Saget's wife, Kelly Rizzo, replied, "Dave. Bob said CONSTANTLY, 'No one in my life makes me laugh harder than Dave.' He must've told me 10 Dave stories every day for 6 years."
So, did Coulier take the same road as his on-screen counterpart and become a comedian-ventriloquist? He probably didn't bring Mr. Woodchuck along, right? And before you ask, no we are not going to "Cut. It. Out." with the "Full House" nostalgia throwbacks. Here's why you don't hear much from Dave Coulier anymore.
Dave Coulier took a page out of Uncle Joey's playbook
No, he did not become a ventriloquist like Uncle Joey, but Dave Coulier has lent his voice to many characters in his career. Portraying a variety of characters on shows like "Robot Chicken," "American Dad!" and "The Real Ghostbusters," the actor was even a regular as Animal/Bean Bunny/Bunsen and other characters on "Muppet Babies" while he was working on "Full House," too! Did someone write Uncle Joey specifically for Coulier? Because it seems like these two have way too much in common — or perhaps he simply put a lot of himself into the popular role.
"I got to bring a lot of elements from my real life into the show," Coulier told Today in 2019. "I'm an airplane pilot, so we did an episode where I got to fly Jesse and drop him off in a tomato patch. We did an episode where I got to play ice hockey. And we also got to incorporate some of my stand-up in the show." So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that before and after his iconic stint on "Full House," this TV star found lots of work as a voice actor. It also makes one of Uncle Joey's famous lines even more iconic: "Cereal, pajamas, cartoons. This is why God invented Saturday mornings." Agreed, Uncle Joey, agreed.
Once a Michigander, always a Michigander
In 2019, Dave Coulier and his wife, Melissa Bring, decided to move away from Hollywood and back to the actor's hometown of St. Clair Shores, Michigan. At the time, he told Hour Detroit that living in a lake home was something he always wanted to do. "People say you can never come back home," Coulier told the outlet, noting that his dad — who sadly died in February 2022 — was still living in his childhood home. "But [with] this journey, I'm back home. It's amazing."
Even as Uncle Joey, the "Full House" star was often seen sporting Michigan sports memorabilia, including a Detroit Red Wings jersey. Coulier told Hour Detroit that his devotion to hockey began in his childhood driveway and never left. He even used to test out jokes on his hockey teammates in the locker room, back when his so-called "partner in crime" was none other than "The Big Bang Theory" director Mark Cendrowski, Coulier explained to the outlet. And even though the actor made the big move to Hollywood, going back home made the most sense for him.
"I've always been in love with this part of the world," Coulier told Hour Detroit. "I find that I'm drawn to Lake St. Clair." After so many years of bringing joy to lots of people, finding peace in a place that is so special is exactly what a dedicated performer deserves.
Dave Coulier has been remodeling his home
Following Dave Coulier on Instagram is a lot like what we imagine it might be like to follow Uncle Joey. Why? He usually works in the "Full House" character's "Cut. It. Out." catchphrase into his posts. Sometimes though, it does make sense. After moving back to his hometown, Coulier got to work building his Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home and even posted some updates of his project to social media: In February 2020, for example, he captioned a pic of himself at work with, "I've become a door installation expert! But first I had to #cutitout."
Hour Detroit noted that Coulier's home is on a "scenic" five acres. The star's wife, Melissa Bring, told the outlet that his loving the area so much makes her happy, saying, "I feel joy knowing the places Dave holds near to his heart." And as for that special place? Well, they are giving their hearts right back to him. In August 2021, Coulier's childhood street, Lange Street, was given an honorary name — Dave Coulier Way — according to The Detroit News. In honor of the occasion, the city released a statement that read in part, "Dave hopes that this will serve as inspiration to people in St. Clair Shores going into the entertainment industry."
No shame in being one of 'the clean guys of comedy'
Some performers want to break out of a box that a role put them in. After "Full House," Bob Saget was known for his very non-Danny-Tanner, filthy brand of stand-up. But Dave Coulier doesn't mind being known as a family-friendly comic. In fact, he relishes it. The multi-talent even toured with a comedy show in 2013 that he helped put together called "The Clean Guys of Comedy." According to The Denver Post, comedians like Coulier, Jamie Kennedy, Heather McDonald, and others performed 20-minute sets to comprise the show, which was filmed for distribution.
Doing family-friendly comedy was always Coulier's preference, which has balanced well with the type of work he's done throughout his showbiz career. In 2013, he told Westword, "I've been doing stand-up for a long time and I've been involved with a lot of family entertainment over the years, starting from my days of hosting a series on Nickelodeon called 'Out of Control,' and so from that and always doing clean stand-up I decided that audiences just want a laugh without that F-bomb aftertaste." He added that there are lots of audiences for clean comedy and pointed to the likes of Jim Gaffigan as an example of how clean comedians can be successful.
"Clean Guys" producer Jim Janicek told The Denver Post that doing clean comedy is a "skill" a performer has to learn, noting that it becomes "a real art form in itself." The publication added that several well-known comics built their work in the same way, including Bob Hope and Bob Newhart.
The actor co-founded Grilled Cheese Media
In pursuit of growing family-friendly entertainment, Dave Coulier teamed up with animator, director, and producer Bob Harper to found Grilled Cheese Media in January 2021. Per the company's news page, Coulier said that "the response has been overwhelmingly positive" and that they were "already in discussions with major streamers, networks, and studios, who're all showing great interest in our animation and live-action projects." Coulier and Harper had previously teamed up in 2016 on a musical storybook series for kids called "The Adventures of Jimmy Bugar," according to People.
As of this writing, they released a book called "Major Marlow Meets the Monster from Mars" in August 2021, and also teamed up with Cyber Group Studios that November to make a show called "Yum-Yum" for preschool-aged children. Cyber Group states that the series will be about a group of island folks who adventure around the world to find "the yummiest foods." The president of Cyber Group's stateside division, Karen Miller, told Kidscreen that their show could be a way to help kids learn about people across the globe.
Returning to Fuller House was like going home again
Given that Dave Coulier moved back to his hometown after starting work on the "Fuller House" series for Netflix, his comments about returning to the show after all those years are especially heartwarming.
As he told People in 2016, "It's surreal being back. It's like moving out of your house when you're a kid and then you move back in. It shouldn't be this much fun." Although, besides the Olsen twins, there was an original castmate who couldn't rejoin the show — Mr. Woodchuck. This is because, as Coulier told Broadway World, his dog "ate Mr. Woodchuck's face" after he brought the puppet home. (Although a new Mr. Woodchuck given to Coulier to use during a mini "Full House" reunion on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in 2014 did make some appearances in the reboot).
Even though they technically weren't castmates for decades, most of the original "Full House" cast remained close in all those years. In 2019, Coulier told Today that he even introduced Candace Cameron Bure to her future husband at a hockey game, which made him feel like "Cupid." He added that he knew that kind of long-lasting relationship among a cast is "unique," but that everything came back to them when filming began on the reboot series. "All of the old jokes that we told back in the day, our little silly songs that we sing to each other," Coulier explained to Today. "... We have not missed a beat. All of that stuff still comes back into play."
He's pitching Uncle Dave's Laugh Emporium
When Closer Weekly asked Dave Coulier about his bucket list in November 2020, he told them about building his new home in Michigan and being the contractor on that project, but the multi-faceted star also brought up wanting to continue to create family entertainment, because he feels that it's been lacking. Coulier also noted that since there aren't enough shows like "Full House" these days, that was why he was going to make them. Cue his production company, Grilled Cheese Media.
"I created a show called 'Uncle Dave's Laugh Emporium,'" Coulier told the outlet of what eventually became one of the company's first projects. "It's kind of my version of 'Pee-wee's Playhouse.' And so I'm with a new company called InventTV. We're going out and doing pitches with that show." It appears that the show title is an homage to his time as Uncle Joey.
Before shooting began for this series in Detroit, Coulier told The Detroit News in May 2020 that his goal would be to keep doing local shoots should it be picked up to network. He also mentioned that "Uncle Dave" would showcase a Michigander child actor, Penelope LeMieux, who Coulier called an "unbelievable" talent with the potential to be "a huge star." Because of the cartoon elements of the show, Coulier likened it to a mashup of "Mister Rodgers Neighborhood" and the aforementioned "Pee-wee's Playhouse."
Dave Coulier even launched a clothing brand
That's right. Thanks to Dave Coulier's Cut It Out Wear, you too can have a variety of shirts with the iconic phrase "Cut It Out!" emblazoned on the front or a cartoony Mr. Woodchuck saying, "Got Wood?" Also, a "Wardrobe Malfunction" t-shirt featuring a nip-slip ... which seems antithetical to Coulier's clean comedian style, but we digress. MTV News even featured the clothes in an article back in 2015. Coulier sometimes reminds followers that the line exists on social media, too. Keeping up with the times, the shop even has face masks to add to your personal pandemic collection.
Back in 2015, Coulier told Lohud that the merchandise was selling like hotcakes. "We can't keep this stuff stocked," he said. "We even came up with these things called 'Gladstones' — they're little rocks that I draw faces on. It's absolutely crazy but it's really cool that the fans wax nostalgic about all this stuff. So we're going to keep doing it as long as people enjoy it." It doesn't appear those expressive stones are on the site anymore, but maybe they'll make a comeback? We hear they're all the rage in '80s and '90s nostalgia.