John Stamos was surprised by “Full House” and its legacy 30 years later
John Stamos chats with USA TODAY’s Erin Jensen about his new Disney+ series “Big Shot” and looks back at “Full House” and “ER.”
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John Stamos may have lost the woman of his dreams to a sitcom heartthrob, but there was a light waiting to guide him to success.
The “Full House” actor opens up about the breakdown of his relationship with actress Teri Copley in his upcoming memoir, “If You Would Have Tell Me.” Stamos accuses the “We Got It Made” star of cheating on him with actor Tony Danza.
Despite his head-over-heels courtship of Copley, Stamos writes that the actress began giving him the cold shoulder after he returned from a tour that included car show appearances and a gig with cover band Papa Doo Run Run.
Stamos was concerned about Copley’s lack of communication and went to his then-girlfriend’s house to check on her. When Stamos arrived at Copley’s house, he noticed a car parked in the driveway.
“I shuffle to the car with a queasy stomach and take a quick look inside. There is a hairbrush, keys, boxing gloves and a half-rolled poster of my girlfriend, naked, barely covered by a white sheet,” Stamos writes. “I’ve never seen this poster before.”
After being unable to open the front or side doors to Copley’s house, Stamos headed to the “Brain Donors” actress’s guest house, where he got “four feet out of the shabby-chic floral-print comforter that once kept me warm.” had, found”. Stamos couldn’t recognize the man Copley was in bed with and called him “Mr. “Porsche Speedster” for the vintage convertible parked in Copley’s driveway.
“My heart is beating out of my chest,” Stamos writes. “My thoughts are racing and the room is spinning. I want to vomit all over her white shag carpet. It’s my worst nightmare.”
Just before leaving Copley’s house, Stamos grabbed the Copley poster that was in the Porsche to take a closer look. The poster was signed by Copley with the message: “My dear Tony, I will love you forever.”
While driving home and listening to Elton John’s song “Tiny Dancer,” Stamos said he recognized the identity of Copley’s lover. “I say the words to his most famous lyrics and remember my rival’s name: ‘Hold me closer, Tony Danza.'”
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Copley and Danza for comment.
In a twist of fate, Stamos later writes that Danza played a crucial role in the development of his acting career. After disappointing ratings in its first season, Stamos’ show “Full House” was paired with Danza’s hit sitcom “Who’s the Boss?” in the ABC lineup, which helped “Full House” find a larger audience.
“If you had told me the day I walked into this room and caught my true love in bed with another man, that his show Who’s the Boss?” would make Full House a real hit and make me a household name would make names,” writes Stamos. “Well what can I say? Thank you, Tony Danza.”
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