Heavy/Getty Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin
In honor of the second anniversary of comedian Bob Saget’s death, actor John Stamos coordinated an Instagram Live session on January 9, 2024, with several cast members from their hit shows “Full House” and “Fuller House.” The reunion included touching moments between current Hallmark star Jodie Sweetin and Hallmark alum Cameron Candace Bure, giving fans hope that the two have mended fences after a highly publicized falling out.
The longtime co-stars and friends have periodically been at odds since Bure’s move to Great American Family and controversial comments she made about the lack of LGTBQ+ representation on her new network.
But during their on-screen discussion with Stamos and former co-star Dave Coulier, Sweetin and Bure expressed their love for each other, inspired by the way Saget was known to bring the group together.
“To be very honest with you, he was the glue,” Stamos told People in October 2023. “And now, it’s rare … you know, we’re not all together. I think there’s some dynamics going on with the cast that maybe, I think, Bob probably would’ve been the guy to come in and (fix things).”
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‘Full House’ Cast Members Celebrate Bob Saget’s Life & Influence During Instagram Live
Though the relationship between Sweetin and Bure — who left Hallmark in 2021 for Great American Family — has been rocky over the last 18 months, the longtime friends seemed to be on good terms for the virtual reunion on January 9. Bure participated from the passenger seat of a car, while Stamos, Coulier and Sweetin looked to be participating from their homes.
The foursome shared favorite memories of Saget, with each shedding tears at different points. When Stamos played clips of Saget at Bure’s 1996 wedding to former NHL player Valerie Bure, she began to cry.
“That was so special,” she said, wiping away tears.
“He paid attention and showed his love through action,” Sweetin marveled.
When a fan asked the cast how they balance grief with raising a family, Coulier replied, “Laughter is a good way. Celebrating someone who gave you so much laughter. Because all you can do is keep marching forward and moving on and carrying that with you.”
“I mean, look what Bob gave us,” he continued, as the three others smiled. “He gave us this. This moment right here. I think he planned this. I really think he planned this. But he gave us so much laughter…and we’re gonna feel his love and kindness the rest of our lives. That’s a real gift that he gave to us.”
Saget’s sudden death in January 2022, determined to be the result of an unwitnessed fall at his Florida hotel room, per CNN, shocked fans and his notoriously close “Full House” castmates. The primary cast, which also included Andrea Barber and Lori Loughlin, reunited to grieve Saget after his death and shared on social media how close-knit they still were. Many, including Bure, attended Sweetin’s wedding that August, per Us Weekly.
But the two friends hit a roadblock in their relationship in November 2022.
Earlier that year, Bure had followed former Hallmark Media CEO Bill Abbott to the new network he started, Great American Family, and became its Chief Creative Officer. When asked in November about whether the network would feature LGBTQ+ storylines and couples like Hallmark Channel, Bure told the Wall Street Journal “no” and added that Great American Family would “keep traditional marriage at the core.”
Sweetin, a vocal LGBTQ+ rights advocate, publicly supported those who spoke out against Bure’s comments, including JoJo Siwa and Hallmark colleague Holly Robinson Peete. Bure stopped following Sweetin on Instagram, signaling to fans a very real rift between the longtime friends.
Despite Speedbumps, Candace Cameron Bure & Jodie Sweetin Express Love for Each Other
In March 2023, Bure and Sweetin reunited publicly for the first time at 90s Con, but fans noted that the two didn’t engage much or sit next to each other. In August, Sweetin dissed Bure’s network when she learned an independent rom-com she’d made was bought by Great American Family and was scheduled for a fall airing.
“I am disappointed,” she said in a statement to People, revealing that her upcoming appearance on Great American Family was a total surprise to her. “But in keeping with my mission of supporting the LGBTQ+ family, any potential or future money made from this sale will be donated to LGBTQ+ organizations.”
The two appeared together again at 90s Con in September and Bure posted photos of them having fun together at the event. And by their January 9 Instagram Live, the former co-stars seemed to be at ease with each other as they emotionally talked about their grief.
At one point, Bure said through tears, “Sorry guys, the emotional button got hit and now I’m just kind of a mess, but I think the biggest thing I learned through this, because Bob’s the closest person I’ve lost in my life so far, is that it’s been so nice to have people just sit in the grief with you and I never realized that before.”
“Like, I didn’t know how to be with someone else who was grieving,” she continued. “And when you just have a friend or it’s your family member, but someone who doesn’t need to talk, doesn’t need anything, but will just sit with you and let you cry, it’s been a gift. I think that’s helped me through the process and then can also help other people in the process.”
Stamos also began crying as he said, “You don’t think about this when you get close to somebody, when you first meet somebody, when you love somebody…like, you don’t go, ‘Oh, one day he’s gonna hit his head and die’ or this other stuff.”
“I mean, I have anxiety, so I do,” Sweetin joked, but then added, “I think the important thing to remember is if you allow it to (keep you from getting close to people), then you miss out on the moments.”
She continued, “Like Candace was saying, too, just sitting in it sometimes, just sitting in the sadness of it, or the beauty of it, the anger of it…like, grief is a weird animal. It shifts, it changes, it’s not always the same…some people shut down with grief, I know I definitely do…but I mean, sitting here and doing this with you guys means the world.”
When Bure got called to return to work, she shouted out “I love you” to her former castmates.
Sweetin replied, “I love you” and blew a kiss.
“I love you all so much, I miss you all,” Bure concluded.