The Full House star reveals some personal sentiments about his ex wife
John Stamos married Rebecca Romijn in 1998, the same year his movie career launched. Right away, tensions started to rise between them.
Stamos, now 60, is now sharing a sober perspective on their 2004 divorce ahead of his upcoming memoir.
During an interview with People, Stamos got emotional as he promoted his newly published book, “If You Would Have Told Me.” In it, Stamos opens up about the heartbreak he experienced during his first marriage.
“My first marriage was shattering to me,” Stamos said. “I was shattered for way too long, too. I mean, a year, okay, good. But it went on [for] years and years.”
Where Did It All Begin?
While the actor had basked in the Hollywood spotlight since the premiere of Full House on ABC in 1987, he was mostly confined to TV roles ever since. Reportedly, he crossed paths with Romijn when she was a Victoria’s Secret model in 1994. They tied the knot four years later, but Stamos began to blame Romijn for everything.
“In my mind back then, she was the Devil, and I just hated her,” Stamos told People. “I couldn’t believe how much I hated her, and it ruined my life.”
They had been married for two years when Romijn became a part of the X-Men franchise and began collaborating with renowned directors such as Brian De Palma. During the year her X-Men sequel was released, Stamos made a guest appearance on Friends and subsequently filed for divorce in 2004.
“It was very public, and that was very painful,” Stamos told People. “I didn’t write much about that, but it’s hard. It was very much the opinion that she dumped me because her career was going great and mine wasn’t, and that’s humiliating. I don’t blame her for it.”
Stamos went on to say: “It was just the perception that people took, and maybe they weren’t wrong.”
What Inspired John Stamos’ Memoir?
The General Hospital actor confessed to drinking heavily during the ordeal. Him consuming excessive amounts of alcohol also led to a DUI arrest in 2015. Stamos was handed a three-year probation and sought assistance through Alcoholics Anonymous.
“I had a horrific DUI, which I am so embarrassed by,” Stamos told Howard Stern in 2016. “I could have hurt somebody. It was really stupid and ignorant of me. And I hated myself for that. It was a bad, bad thing. So I said to myself, I have to stop this up and down.”
The ER alum also told People that he “would’ve never straightened up” or “known what real love is” without the challenges he faced. Stamos would grow to realize that Romijn wasn’t entirely at fault for their divorce. He even confessed to having “some part” in it.
“You start thinking … ‘Oh, she wasn’t the Devil. Maybe I was as much to blame as her.’”
Stamos met current wife, Caitlin McHugh, 37, while on the set of Law & Order: SVU. In 2017, Stamos proposed to McHugh at Disneyland and they married in 2018. The couple then welcomed their first son later that year.
Stamos says that memoir is a reminder about accepting the past no matter how difficult it is.
“If I didn’t go through all the things, all the heartache, I wouldn’t be who I am today,” he adds.
“If You Would Have Told Me” launches on October 24th.