Hallmark Stars Remember Beloved Comedian: ‘Not the Same Without You’

Cemetery

Pixabay Flowers on a grave in a cemetery

On the first anniversary of Bob Saget’s shocking death, famous colleagues and friends paid tribute to the legendary comedian, including his former “Full House” castmates and longtime Hallmark Channel talent Candace Cameron Bure and Jodie Sweetin. Both women posted heartfelt social media messages about their former TV dad, who died in his Orlando hotel room on January 9, 2022.

According to a statement from Saget’s family, an autopsy later revealed that the cause of death for 65-year-old Saget was head trauma, concluding that “he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep,” CNN reported.


Former Hallmark Castmates Support Candace Cameron Bure’s Tribute

On January 9, 2023, Bure posted three photos on Instagram of herself with Saget, who starred as dad Danny Tanner on the hit series “Full House” from 1987 to 1995 and in the successful sequel series, “Fuller House,” from 2016 to 2020. Bure played his oldest daughter, DJ.

“I stayed up for hours watching videos of Bob on my phone,” she wrote on Instagram. “Videos I couldn’t watch a year ago because it hurt too much. Last night they made me laugh. They comforted me and warmed my heart. I watched them over and over and laughed so hard. I miss him so much and I’m grateful he was my friend for so many years. I love you, Bob… *now go hug a friend like Bob would.”

Following Saget’s death, so many famous friends mentioned how much they’d miss the actor’s kind words and warm hugs that Bure designed sweatshirts and t-shirts that said “Love like Jesus, Hug like Bob Saget,” with proceeds going to the Scleroderma Research Foundation, a charity close to Saget’s heart.

Though Bure left Hallmark in April 2022, several former colleagues “liked” her social media tribute to Saget including Lacey Chabert, Jack Wagner, Tamera Mowry, and Peter Benson. Fellow Great American Family actress Danica Patrick commented, “Love to your heart!”

Three months after Saget’s death, Bure shocked fans by leaving behind her longtime career at Hallmark for an exclusive contract with Great American Family, a new network launched by former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott. In November, the actress made headlines for her controversial remarks in a Wall Street Journal interview when, in response to a question about whether Great American Family will incorporate LGBTQ+ couples into its programming like Hallmark now does, Bure said her new network would likely “keep traditional marriage at the core.”


Jodie Sweetin Also Posted a Tribute to Bob Saget, But Friendship With Candace Cameron Bure Remains Strained

Sweetin, who played one of Bure’s younger sisters, Stephanie, on “Full House” and “Fuller House,” also found success in romantic TV movies, including several at Hallmark. Her most recent Hallmark movie was “Cozy Christmas Inn,” which premiered in October.

Sweetin posted her own lengthy tribute to Saget on the anniversary of his death, penning a heartfelt letter to him and sharing a photo of the two of them together.

“I just wanted you to know, I’ve thought of you every day for the past year,” Sweetin wrote. “It’s just not the same without you with us, and I don’t think it ever will feel like that again. I wish you had been here over the last year, oh… there’s so many moments you were supposed to be here for.”

Sweetin continued, “So many times I thought of calling you and thinking, “What would Bob do in this moment?’ Mostly the answer to that is ‘make a joke about it’… so I do that. A lot. Even when I probably shouldn’t, but it’s those moments when I hear you just over my shoulder, laughing the hardest.”

Members of the tight-knit “Full House” cast have remained close through the years and leaned on one another as they mourned, even issuing a combined statement after Saget’s death. But the relationship between Bure and Sweetin soured in the fall of 2022. A vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, Sweetin took offense to Bure’s comments in the Wall Street Journal, publicly supporting dancer and reality star JoJo Siwa’s social media post in which she slammed Cameron Bure’s comments and also re-sharing a post from fellow Hallmark star Holly Robinson Peete about the discriminatory history of defining “traditional marriage.”

Page Six reported that Bure then unfollowed Sweetin on Instagram. However, Heavy has confirmed that Sweetin still follows Bure there. Neither actress liked or commented on the other’s posts about Saget’s death.

Meanwhile, Saget’s widow, Kelly Rizzo, shared both women’s tribute posts in her Instagram Stories, as well as posts by “Full House” alumni Dave Coulier, comedian Jeffrey Ross, and singer John Mayer.