Dave Coulier has responded to the backlash against his Full House co-star John Stamos, who was heavily criticised after he was pictured wearing a bald cap in support of Coulier, who recently revealed his cancer diagnosis.
In new photos shared online, Stamos posed alongside Coulier wearing the bald cap. In one slide, the pair smiled together, and in another, Stamos was helping the actor shave his head.
The pictures were met with a mixed reaction online, with some criticizing Stamos for wearing a bald cap, which he can take off, rather than shaving his head in solidarity,
Writing on Instagram on Tuesday (November 19), Coulier said: “I’m sorry to see a bunch of negative comments as I’ve just begun my cancer journey.
“It’s our friendship (me and John) and this is how we are handling a very tough time. I’m a comedian and humor is what drives me. John knows how to cheer me up and I laughed out loud when he arrived wearing a bald cap — being a true loving friend and brother.
“I have heard from so many people who have been inspired enough by my words and actions to say that they are going to check in with their doctors and get mammograms, a colonoscopy or a prostate exam. I’m still going to laugh in the face of adversity.
“When I lost my sister, Sharon, my mother, Arlen, and my niece, Shannon to cancer, we tried to stay positive and we made each other laugh through the worst of it. So, I’m choosing to spread the word about early cancer detection to help people. That’s just who I am. I wish nothing but love for all of you.”
Coulier, best known for his role as Joey Gladstone in the ABC sitcom, recently announced he has been diagnosed with aggressive stage three non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The comedian told fans he received his diagnosis in October after dealing with an upper respiratory infection caused by major swelling in his lymph nodes.
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The actor is currently receiving chemotherapy and preemptively decided to shave his head.
Speaking about this diagnosis, Coulier told People: “My doctors called me back, and they said, ‘We wish we had better news for you, but you have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and it’s called B cell, and it’s very aggressive.”
“I went from, I got a little bit of a head cold to I have cancer, and it was pretty overwhelming,” he added. “This has been a really fast roller-coaster ride of a journey.”
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body. It’s one of the most common cancers in the U.S., accounting for about 4 percent of all cancers.