Tragic Details About Dave Coulier

The following article includes mentions of suicide and substance abuse.

When Dave Coulier got his start in the stand-up comedy scene back in the 1980s, he was determined to make it big. With his breakout role as Joey Gladstone in "Full House," Coulier was able to quickly ascend the comedy ladder and make himself a household name. However, with fame can come contention, and Coulier has not always avoided tragedy in his personal life.

Fans have noticed that you don't hear much from Dave Coulier anymore, and there are varying reasons for this. For a while, the "America's Funniest People" host could be seen and heard everywhere, often taking voice acting roles and revisiting his stand-up roots. Over the years, tragedy has slowly caught up with Coulier. From a messy breakup with Alanis Morissette to a recent cancer diagnosis, here is a breakdown of some of the tragic details about Dave Coulier.

Dave Coulier quickly dated and married model and actress Jayne Modean. The two had their son, Luc, in 1990, but the marriage was short-lived. Dave and Jayne married in 1990 and divorced in 1992 when Coulier was essentially at the height of his "Full House" fame. This could have been a breaking point for both Jayne and Dave, but Dave dove right into the next relationship — dating powerhouse singer Alanis Morissette.

It was rumored that the song "You Oughta Know" by Morissette was secretly about Coulier, but the singer has repeatedly denied this, making it hard to know what really happened between Morissette and Coulier. Alanis and Dave only dated for about two years, and then in 2005, Coulier began dating Melissa Bring. Melissa and Dave dated for almost a decade before eventually tying the knot in 2014. They've been together ever since.

Back when Dave Coulier was trying to get started in Hollywood, Bob Saget and his then-wife let the up-and-coming comedian stay on their couch. Thus began the wonderful relationship between Saget and Coulier. Coulier would often describe Saget like family, recalling all the times the powerhouse of raunchy comedy was willing to go out of his way to be kind and caring for Coulier and others. When Bob Saget tragically passed away in 2022, it struck not only those who grew up watching him on TV but also his "Full House" co-stars.

During an appearance on "The Tamron Hall Show," Coulier recalled his final conversation with Saget, calling it uplifting and humorous. "He was texting me and making me laugh, and we were texting back and forth and making each other laugh very hard ... The last thing I said to him was, 'Have a great show tonight.' That was my last real connection with Bob." The giant void Saget left is still felt today. On the "Full House Rewind" podcast, Coulier and co-host John Stamos dedicated nearly an entire episode to eulogizing their beloved friend. "We're still processing the loss of him," Stamos said in 2024 — something that still feels incredibly true today.

In March 2022, Dave Coulier made a heartbreaking confession about his struggles with alcohol. In a post on Instagram, the "Real Ghostbusters" voice actor admitted he had been sober for the past two years — not having had a drink since New Year's Day 2020. In the post, he reveals a facial injury he sustained while intoxicated and reflected on how he was always the friend willing to drink until closing time. "I loved booze, but it didn't love me back," he revealed. Coulier's choice to enter into sobriety came at a particularly fraught time in his life.

As Coulier was struggling with heavy personal loss, he realized how alcohol was disrupting his own grieving process. "I should be feeling this pain. I should be feeling this incredible love for these people," he said during his appearance on "Tamron Hall Show," adding, "With alcohol, I was covering all that up. It was a real stark reminder to me that alcohol had been stealing all of those moments in my life for a long, long time." However, he also credits his sobriety with helping him get through one of the most tragically difficult years of his life.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

In that same episode of "The Tamron Hall Show," Dave Coulier opened up about another double dose of tragedy he faced around the time of Bob Saget's death. Coulier told Hall, "My brother took his own life [in 2021], and he was actually the funniest person I've ever known ... A part of me died that day, as well, because I really loved my brother." This was followed by his father's death less than a year later, in 2022. However, Coulier admits that his sobriety made traversing all the grief much more profound.

"I made jokes to my friends and family, and the line was, 'Boy, I sure picked the wrong time in my life to stop drinking.' And people would laugh at that, knowing I was sober," he continued. Coulier also mentioned that with his sobriety, he was able to repair his relationship with his father before he passed away. 

In late 2024, Dave Coulier announced on the "Today" show that he'd been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. "[I was] feeling like I got punched in the stomach because it never happens to you," the "Full House" star explained. "You always hear about it happening to someone else." In an attempt to make the general public aware of the dangers of this type of cancer, Coulier mentioned that he first grew concerned when a lump on his groin appeared. Luckily, test results returned to inform him that the cancer had not spread to any major organs but was indeed within his lymphatic system.

Coulier will undergo chemotherapy, which will wrap up in early 2025. Coulier has admitted, "There [are] days where I feel unbelievable. Then there's other days where ... I'm just going to lay down and let this be what it's going to be." Coulier has also mentioned that his cancer, while aggressive, is also incredibly treatable. A reminder to all to take our health seriously.