Dave Coulier, an actor and comedian, revealed that he is now in remission from tongue cancer, a year after completing treatment for Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In a live interview on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday, Coulier said, "It's been a wild ride, to say the least. I'm in remission from both cancers, and it's been a journey."
The 66-year-old actor shared that he was diagnosed with p16 squamous carcinoma at the base of his tongue in December, a year after completing his lymphoma treatment. "I was getting a checkup for the lymphoma and got a PET scan that revealed something in my throat. They said, 'Let's take a look at this,'" Coulier recalled on "GMA."
Coulier underwent robotic surgery to confirm the second cancer diagnosis, which doctors told him was unrelated to his previous cancer. "It was revealed that I have carcinoma, and it's totally unrelated," Coulier said. "That PET scan and early detection...saved my life."
Coulier previously said he would undergo 35 radiation treatments through the end of 2025 to address the squamous carcinoma. He spoke openly about his experience on "GMA," stating that radiation has "totally different side effects. It can take parts of your life away from you - psychologically, emotionally, and certainly physically. I wasn't going to let cancer do that. I was going to laugh my way through it and keep the people I love close to me, which helps."
Coulier credits his family and close friends like "Full House" co-star John Stamos for supporting him throughout his cancer journey. "My wife, Melissa, has been amazing throughout all of this. I love her to death," Coulier said. "And John flew into Michigan to visit us and make me laugh. He's my brother. When he came around the corner wearing a bald cap, I dropped to the floor laughing. And he got COVID while staying with us. We were like two fifth-graders sitting in the hallway, talking to each other with walkie-talkies."
Coulier hopes to encourage others to pay attention to their health and get regular checkups as necessary. "I never wanted to be the poster boy for cancer, believe me, but now I feel like I can encourage people to get prostate exams and mammograms and just talk to your doctors and get ahead of this," Coulier said. "Because even though I'm in remission, I feel like cancer is always in the rear-view mirror...so early detection really means everything."
